News

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. The dividend is payable September 1, 2026, to stockholders of record on August 14, 2026. This marks the 336th consecutive quarter — dating back to 1942 — that the company will have paid a dividend to its stockholders.

In 2024, Madison Gas and Electric introduced grazing sheep at the company’s 6-megawatt Tyto Solar array in Fitchburg. The sheep help control ground cover during the growing season, maintaining grass and brush in a sustainable way.

The practice is an example of agrivoltaics, or dual-use solar, in which land is used for both solar generation and agriculture. MGE expanded its use of solar grazing the following year to the Company’s nearby Strix Solar facility and to the Hermsdorf Solar Fields in Madison.

The introduction of solar grazing built on the Company’s commitment to providing pollinator habitat through native plantings at some of its local solar generation facilities, including Dane County Airport Solar, Hermsdorf Solar Fields, Morey Field Solar and the O’Brien Solar Fields.

Pollinator habitats are shrinking. As native vegetation is replaced by roads, manicured lawns and non-native gardens, pollinators lose necessary food and nesting sites.

A pollinator is a bee, butterfly or other agent that transfers pollen from one plant to another. This process enables fertilization and the production of food such as seeds, fruits and nuts.

Xcel Energy has been preparing for extreme heat experienced across the Dakotas, Minnesota, and western Wisconsin. Crews and operations teams have been ready to safely respond and restore power if outages occur. A strong ridge of high pressure has brought widespread temperatures in the 90s to low 100s across the region, with heat reaching 100 to 105 degrees or higher in some areas.

Xcel Energy maintains a diverse energy mix and robust electric system to provide customers with the safe and reliable energy they depend on during periods of extreme weather. In the event of service disruptions, restoration efforts will prioritize the largest outages first to restore power to the greatest number of customers as quickly and safely as possible.

During periods of extreme heat and poor air quality, new safeguards will keep power connected for customers who are due to be disconnected. Xcel Energy will proactively identify disconnected customers in the area of the event to offer reconnection of electric service.

Wisconsin Transmission Company is seeking federal intervention months after the Midwest’s regional grid operator awarded a major project to a startup competitor. The ATC, which owns and operates transmission lines across eastern and central Wisconsin, has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to force the grid operator to either redo its bidding process or award the full eastern Wisconsin project to ATC.

The request escalates a protracted fight over who gets to make billions of dollars in new transmission investments – Wisconsin based utilities or out of state investor groups. The race to serve energy-hungry data centers has raised the stakes, and ATC’s request is intertwined with plans to connect a massive data center campus in Port Washington to the grid by the end of next year.

Wisconsin’s latest high-capacity transmission buildout began in 2022, when the nonprofit Midcontinent Independent Systems Operator (MISO) approved $10 billion in upgrades across the Upper Midwest. Another round of approvals in 2024 brought the total projected price tag to roughly $32 billion. The upgrades are a core part of MISO’s effort to improve grid reliability and connect population centers to abundant electricity from renewable sources, especially from wind farms on the Great Plains.

Included in the buildout are a set of transmission lines and substations circling Milwaukee, stretching south to the Illinois border and north to Fond du Lac and Sheboygan. MISO originally expected the projects to enter service by 2033.

The We Energies peregrine falcon program is making history. Groundbreaking new technology will allow the company to pinpoint the location of its falcon chicks after they leave the nest.

Pregrine Falcon Manager Greg Septon has placed tiny BlūMorpho tags on all the chicks born at We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) power plants. The transmitters are light enough to attach to a butterfly, are powered by the sun and rely on smartphone networks to determine a falcon’s location.

This is only the second time this technology has ever been used on peregrine falcons in the United States. Experts say the research opportunities are endless.

“Before this technology, we had to rely on sightings or photos of identification bands to determine if one of our peregrines was alive and well in the wild. It could take years to get a report of a falcon, if we got one at all,” explained Septon. “With these transmitters, we hope to acquire clearer understanding of where these young falcons go in their first years of life before they settle at a nest site to lay eggs and raise their own young.”

All 11 We Energies and WPS falcons born this year have officially left their nest boxes. Each raptor was named in honor of news anchors from across Wisconsin. In just the few short weeks since the tags were activated, their signals were detected more than a thousand times. The image of the tracking data from falcons at the Port Washington Generating Station shows the birds are sticking close to their birthplaces for now while they master their flying skills and learn how to hunt their own prey.

The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin has announced that PSC Commissioner Kristy Nieto has been appointed to serve as the new Chair of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) Committee on Consumers and Public Interest.

Commissioner Nieto was appointed by Governor Tony Evers to serve as a Commissioner in February 2024. She said, “As energy issues increasingly shape conversations at kitchen tables, in classrooms, in the media, and in political debate, keeping the needs of utility customers as a central focus of our work is more important than ever. I am honored to lead the NARUC Committee on Consumers and Public Interest and work collaboratively with utility regulators across the country to prioritize this vital work.” The NARUC Committee on Consumers and the Public Interest brings together commissioners from across the nation to focus on the evolving role state commissions play in protecting consumers and upholding the public interest. The Committee fosters dialogue exploring ways to ensure fair and affordable utility service in order to support informed regulatory decisions, public participation, and improved consumer education and communication.

Xcel Energy announced the completion of Sherco Solar Phase 3, marking another major milestone in the company's transformation of a retiring coal plant into a major renewable energy hub. Located near the existing Sherco plant in Becker, Sherco Solar is the largest solar facility in Minnesota and one of the biggest in the Upper Midwest. With the first three phases online, the site now produces 710 megawatts of electricity powered by 1.7 million solar panels.

A proposed fourth phase would bring the Sherco Solar’s total generating capacity to 910 megawatts – capable of powering more than 190,000 homes – by 2029. The expansion will create an estimated 300 union construction jobs and $90 million in local economic benefits.

"Completing Sherco Solar Phase 3 is a significant step in our efforts to deliver the reliable, affordable and increasingly clean energy our customers expect," according to Bria Shea, President of Xcel Energy–Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. "This project demonstrates how we can build upon existing infrastructure and workforce expertise to meet growing energy needs, create economic opportunities for Minnesota communities and continue advancing our renewable energy transition."

MGE Energy has commenced an underwritten public offering of $250,000,000 of shares of its common stock, subject to market and other conditions. Of the $250,000,000 of shares of common stock being offered, MGE Energy expects to issue and sell directly approximately $75,000,000 of shares to the underwriters in the offering, and the forward sellers expect to borrow from third parties and sell to such underwriters approximately $175,000,000 of shares of common stock in connection with the forward sale agreements. In conjunction with the offering, MGE Energy intends to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to $37,500,000 of additional shares of its common stock. If such option is exercised, MGE Energy may enter into additional forward sale agreements with the forward purchasers with respect to such additional shares or issue and sell such shares directly to the underwriters.

The Bent Tree North Wind project in Freeborn County, Minnesota is moving forward, according to Alliant Energy. The energy company recently received unanimous approvals to construct a 150-megawatt (MW) wind project that will be built adjacent to the company’s existing 200-megawatt (MW) Bent Tree wind farm.  

The approvals, from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC), follow a comprehensive review of the project’s benefits. 

“Unanimous approvals in Wisconsin and Minnesota reflect strong regulatory confidence in this project and the value it brings to communities as a whole,” according to Becky Valcq, President of Alliant Energy’s Wisconsin Energy Company. “Approval of the Bent Tree North Wind project marks an important step as Alliant Energy continues to build a balanced energy portfolio that includes both renewable and traditional resources to meet customer demand.” 

Xcel Energy is strengthening its energy grid with new electric generation and infrastructure to adapt to a rapidly evolving energy landscape, the company has announced in its 21^st annual Sustainability Report.

Xcel Energy’s investments in a diverse and increasingly carbon-free energy portfolio aim to deliver reliable, low-cost energy service for all its customers during a time of significant growth in demand from data centers, vehicle charging, electrified home heating, natural gas development and other areas of the economy that spur growth. As it grows the capacity and resilience of the grid, the company has reduced carbon emissions from the electricity it provides to customers 58 percent from 2005 levels.

“For more than 150 years, Xcel Energy has energized communities and built brighter futures,” according to Bob Frenzel, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Xcel Energy. “Today, the increasing trend toward electrification is reshaping how we live, work and power our world. We are meeting this moment through advanced technology, disciplined investment and a steadfast commitment to reliability, affordability and sustainability.”

Xcel Energy’s carbon reduction progress comes as it navigates higher resource costs, supply chain constraints and a dynamic public policy environment, while keeping affordability for customers at the forefront. Since 2007, it has retired or converted 27 coal units without layoffs — and, consistent with state‑approved plans, is working to retire or convert its remaining units by the end of 2030. Electrification of a portion of the company’s fleet vehicles has prevented 700 metric tons of carbon emissions.

In addition, the company has reduced its water use related to the electricity it provides by 35 percent since 2005. Meanwhile, Xcel Energy outperforms the industry reliability standard, restoring 89 percent of affected customers’ power within 24 hours during active storm days, and has an overall electric service reliability of 99.98 percent.