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WEC Energy Group has reported net income based on generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) of $1.6 billion, or $4.81 per share, for 2025. This compares to earnings of $1.5 billion, or $4.83 per share, for 2024. Full-year 2025 earnings include a charge of 46 cents per share, reflecting an agreement on the terms of a proposed settlement the company reached with the Illinois Attorney General that would resolve all open proceedings in Illinois related to the Qualifying Infrastructure Plant (QIP) rider and the Uncollectible Expense Adjustment (UEA) rider. Full-year 2024 earnings included a charge of 6 cents per share related to certain capital expenditures under the QIP rider that were disallowed by the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). Excluding these charges, WEC Energy Group's adjusted earnings for 2025 rose to $5.27 per share – an increase of 8.0 percent over 2024 adjusted earnings of $4.88 per share. For the fourth quarter of 2025, WEC Energy Group recorded net income based on GAAP of $316.6 million, or 97 cents per share. This compares to earnings of $453.5 million, or $1.43 per share, for the fourth quarter of 2024. Excluding the 2025 charge, WEC Energy Group's adjusted earnings for the fourth quarter of 2025 totaled $1.42 per share. Consolidated revenues for the full year were $9.8 billion, up $1.2 billion from revenues in 2024. “We delivered another year of solid results — from operational efficiency to customer care to financial performance,” according to Scott Lauber, President and CEO. “We continue to see significant growth opportunities ahead. And we remain focused on enhancing value for our customers and stockholders.”

Xcel Energy has reported 2025 GAAP diluted earnings of $2.02 billion, or $3.42 per share, compared with $1.94 billion, or $3.44 per share in the same period in 2024 and ongoing earnings of $2.24 billion, or $3.80 per share, compared with $1.97 billion, or $3.50 per share in the same period in 2024.

The change in ongoing earnings reflects increased recovery of infrastructure investments and electric sales growth, partially offset by higher interest, depreciation, and operating and maintenance expenses.

“In 2025, Xcel Energy delivered on our earnings guidance for the 21^st year in a row - one of the best track records in the industry. We placed in service critical infrastructure to serve our customers, including Phase 2 of our Sherco Solar facility, the conversion of our Harrington coal plant to natural gas, and the first two segments of our Colorado Power Pathway. All the while, our customers continue to have some of the lowest energy bills in the country,” according to Bob Frenzel, Chairman, President and CEO of Xcel Energy.

“As we look forward into 2026, we recently announced another large data center customer. We also announced two strategic alliances with industry-leading development and supply chain partners to help ensure we have the right resources to deliver critical system investments affordably, accelerate data center development for the benefit of all our customers, and drive innovation. We are excited for the future and to make energy work better for our customers and communities.”

Alliant Energy Corporation has announced U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) consolidated unaudited earnings per share (EPS) of $3.14 for 2025, compared to $2.69 for 2024. Ongoing EPS for 2025 was $3.22, compared to $3.04 for 2024.

Alliant Energy affirmed its consolidated ongoing EPS guidance for 2026 of $3.36 - $3.46, continuing its over a decade strong track record of compound annual earnings growth of more than six percent.

“In 2025, we delivered another solid year of financial and operational results. We’re executing well while investing to meet growing customer demand,” said Lisa Barton, Alliant Energy President and CEO. “We have renegotiated an electric service agreement with QTS based on a new project location and our investment plan reinforces our flexibility and balanced generation portfolio as we continue to execute on our customer and community-focused strategy.”

In 2025, the primary drivers of Alliant Energy’s results were higher EPS due to increased revenue requirements from authorized rate base increases, reflecting ongoing capital investments in generation and energy storage, non-GAAP adjustments in 2024, and estimated temperature impacts on retail electric and gas sales. These items were partially offset by higher other operation and maintenance expenses, driven by increased generation costs from planned maintenance activities and the addition of new energy resources, as well as higher development costs to support long-term growth. Higher depreciation and financing expenses related to capital investments and non-GAAP adjustments in 2025 also partially offset the higher earnings.

The Board of Directors of Xcel Energy has raised the quarterly dividend on the company’s common stock from 57 cents per share to 59.25 cents per share, which is equivalent to an annual rate of $2.37 per share. The dividends are payable April 20, 2026, to shareholders of record on March 13, 2026.

“Xcel Energy is rewarding its shareholders with higher dividends for the twenty third consecutive year. Bob Frenzel, Chairman, President and CEO of Xcel said. “We are committed to providing predictable and sustainable dividend growth, continuing to target annual dividend increases of 4-6 percent and a payout ratio of 45-55 percent.” 

The Board of Directors of WEC Energy Group has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 95.25 cents per share on the company's common stock, an increase of 6.7 percent over the current quarterly dividend of 89.25 cents per share. This raises the annual dividend rate to $3.81 per share.

The higher dividend was payable March 1, 2026, to stockholders of record on February 13, 2026. This marks the 334^th consecutive quarter — dating back to 1942 — that the company will have paid a dividend to its stockholders.

At a public hearing held by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission dozens of Wisconsin residents discussed the negative impacts they believed the massive data centers could have on the state’s electricity rates and ability to adopt renewable energy sources. 

The three-member PSC is considering a proposal from the Wisconsin Electric Power Company to establish a tariff system for providing electricity to massive data centers. Under the proposal, “very large” customers that would be subject to the tariff would have a combined energy load of 500 megawatts — the equivalent of powering about 400,000 homes. 

The first phase of Microsoft’s $13.3 billion data center project in Mount Pleasant is projected to require 450 megawatts. Utilities have disputed the negative charges made and generally support the building of the data centers as beneficial for the state’s economy and utility ratepayers.

Alliant Energy is moving forward with its proposed $730 million Columbia Wind Project in Columbia County. The project entails a large-scale wind farm just outside of Madison that the utility says will play a major role in meeting Wisconsin’s future energy needs, according to the press release from Alliant Energy.

The project, which would generate up to 277 megawatts of electricity, has drawn support from clean energy advocates while also raising concerns among some rural residents and farmers who worry about land use changes, construction impacts and the long-term presence of turbines in the landscape.

If approved, the Columbia Wind Project would become one of the largest wind farms in the state, according to University of Wisconsin professor of geotechnical engineering James Tinjum.

“This project would be one of the largest utility-scale wind farms in Wisconsin,” Tinjum said. “While there are about ten other large wind farms already operating in the state, this would significantly contribute to wind energy penetration in Wisconsin’s overall energy mix.”

Alliant Energy officials say Columbia County meets the technical and logistical requirements needed for a project of this size. Alliant Energy’s manager of resource development Justin Foss said the utility considers many factors when deciding where to site a wind farm.

The Board of Directors of WEC Energy Group have announced that consistent with the company's guidelines, Gale Klappa, 75, will not be standing for election and will retire from the board following the annual meeting in May. The Board plans to appoint Scott Lauber, President and Chief Executive Officer, to the additional role of Chairman following the company's annual meeting, subject to his election by stockholders in the annual director election. Lauber has served as President and CEO of WEC Energy Group and as a member of the Board of Directors since February 2022. He joined the company in 1990 and has held a series of leadership roles of increasing responsibility throughout his career.

Klappa joined Wisconsin Energy as President in April 2003. He was elected to the company's Board of Directors in December 2003. From May 2004, Klappa served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Wisconsin Energy and We Energies. Under his leadership, the company successfully completed its 2015 acquisition of Integrys Energy Group, at which time he assumed those same roles for WEC Energy Group.

Klappa served as non-executive Chairman of WEC Energy Group after retiring as Chief Executive Officer in May 2016. In October 2017, Klappa resumed the role of Chairman and CEO to provide leadership and continuity following a medical issue that sidelined his successor. He returned to the Non-Executive Chairman role in May 2024.

Klappa was the longest serving Chief Executive Officer in company history.

Xcel Energy, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a subsidiary of NextEra Energy, Inc. to accelerate the delivery of generation resources to serve large load customers, including data centers.

This MOU represents an expansion of a long-standing commercial relationship between Xcel Energy and NextEra Energy. The parties expect to support existing and new large load opportunities across Xcel Energy’s service territories through improved collaboration on generation, storage and associated transmission investments. This will enable both companies to better anticipate system needs, rapidly assess where large customer demand intersects with available grid and power assets, streamline development timelines, and advance innovative grid technologies for the benefit of all Xcel Energy customers. Xcel Energy expects this agreement will allow it to increase the data center demand that it can serve through the 2030s. Importantly, Xcel Energy is committed to ensuring that its existing customers benefit from new, large loads on its systems and that data centers pay their fair share.

Legislation is under consideration at the Capitol (AB 493/SB 559) that would allow for third party development of solar generating facilities without having to submit to standard utility regulation. These proposals are unfair to utilities, and potentially harmful and costly to consumers and utility investors alike.

Under these so called “community solar” bills, developers could build solar projects exempt from public utility regulation. However, the incumbent utilities would be required to distribute the electricity, manage the billing and credit system, and purchase excess high price power from these projects. These costs would be passed on to non-participating utility customers.

These projects would likely displace a portion of the utility scale solar projects planned or currently being permitted for construction in the near future. Since utility scale solar projects are, without question, the lowest cost means of generating solar electricity, this unfair competition would be harmful to consumers because high cost “community solar” would displace a portion of lower cost utility scale solar generation. This would also adversely impact utility investors.

Some have suggested that “community solar” projects would be a form of free market competition. The reality is that under the bills, they benefit from a unique regulatory framework with guaranteed subsidies and requirements that utilities provide the distribution network, along with having to purchase high priced excess power and manage the billing system. The bottom line is that “community solar” is only viable with subsidies from incumbent utilities.

Experience in other states has shown that “community solar” has proven to be a costly mistake. In neighboring Minnesota, “community solar” pricing is set at a rate as much as 100 percent higher than utility scale solar.

Please take a moment to contact your State Senator and Representative and urge them to vote against these bills. Go to WUIINC.org and click on “Find My Legislators” and enter your street address on the top line. You can then click on their email addresses and send them a message.