News

Alliant Energy has filed a plan with the Iowa Utilities Commission to add up to 1,000 megawatts of wind energy generation in Iowa. The proposed expansion is part of the company’s strategy to meet growing energy demand while maintaining reliability and affordability for customers, according to the filing.

“This filing marks a significant step in our commitment to an all-of-the-above approach to energy generation,” said Mayuri Farlinger, president of Alliant Energy’s Iowa energy company and vice president of energy delivery. “By expanding our wind energy portfolio, we’re reinforcing our ability to meet customer demand while delivering reliable and cost-effective energy for customers.”

Alliant Energy said it plans to own and operate the new wind projects, which will contribute to its standing as one of the top five utility owners and operators of regulated wind energy in the United States. The projects are also expected to support construction jobs, provide payments to landowners, and generate new tax revenue for counties where the turbines are located, though a location has not yet been specified.

The coal will be burning at the We Energies plant in Oak Creek a year longer than expected. The company has announced that it will extend the operating life of two coal units at the Oak Creek Power Plant to meet high energy demand periods through the end of 2026. The plant was scheduled to retire at the end of 2025.

The Assembly has voted to approve several measures aimed at making Wisconsin the "Silicon Valley" for nuclear power development, showing support for a burgeoning nuclear fusion industry.

One bill would establish a nuclear summit in Wisconsin and establish funding for the event to be hosted in 2028. The Senate approved the bill in June. Another bill would launch a siting study, run by the Public Service Commission, to find the best location for a nuclear power plant to be erected in the Madison area or other areas of the state. The Senate approved that bill in May. The bills have been sent to the Governor for his signature.

The developer behind the largest solar project ever approved in Wisconsin has agreed to a legal settlement with a state conservation group aimed at protecting the habitat of the Greater Prairie Chicken.

The Vista Sands Solar project in Portage County will cover more than 5,000 acres with solar panels, producing enough electricity to power approximately 230,000 homes. The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin approved the project late last year.

WEC ENERGY GROUP DECLARES QUARTERLY DIVIDEND

The Board of Directors of WEC Energy Group has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 89.25 cents per share on the company's common stock. The dividend is payable September 2025, to stockholders of record on August 14, 2025. This marks the 332nd consecutive quarter — dating back to 1942 — that the company will have paid a dividend to its stockholders.

ALLIANT ENERGY CORPORATION DECLARES QUARTERLY COMMON STOCK DIVIDEND

The Alliant Energy Corporation (NASDAQ: LNT) Board of Directors today declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.5075 per share payable on August 15, 2025, to shareowners of record as of the close of business on July 31, 2025. Dividends on common stock have been paid for 319 consecutive quarters since 1946.

Wisconsin’s first large-scale energy storage project—the Paris Solar-Battery Park in Kenosha County—is now serving Madison Gas and Electric customers. 

The 110-megawatt battery portion of the Paris Solar-Battery Park came online in June 2025. The 200-MW solar portion of the project went into service in December 2024. 

The storage facility is made up of batteries capable of powering more than 130,000 homes for four hours. On sunny days, the batteries store excess power and release it at night or in the early morning when the sun is not shining. 

“Carbon is our target, and Wisconsin’s first large-scale battery storage project continues the progress we're making in working toward innovative solutions to achieve net-zero carbon electricity,” according to Jeff Keebler, MGE Chairman, President and CEO. 

MGE owns 11 MW of the Paris facility’s battery storage and 20 MW of solar capacity. We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service, both subsidiaries of WEC Energy Group, own the remaining battery storage and solar capacity. 

The project was developed by U.S.-based Invenergy, a leading global developer, owner, and operator of sustainable energy solutions.

Xcel Energy has named Ryan Long as the company’s new Executive Vice President and Chief Legal and Compliance Officer. Long, currently President of Xcel Energy – Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, takes over the role held by Rob Berntsen, who accepted a position outside the company.

“Ryan has an extensive legal background as well as demonstrating tremendous leadership in strategic planning, operational considerations and financial results in his current role as President,” according to Bob Frenzel, Xcel Energy’s Chairman, President and CEO. “His legal acumen and jurisdictional expertise are critical assets as we make energy work better for customers. Ryan’s counsel to me, the Xcel Energy leadership team and the Board of Directors is invaluable.”

Long will oversee Xcel Energy’s legal, compliance, and federal affairs teams. He previously served as interim general counsel in late 2023 and early 2024.

Long will continue to oversee the Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota jurisdiction as the company conducts an internal and external search for the next president for this operating company.

Long joined Xcel Energy as a principal attorney in late 2015 and was named vice president, deputy general counsel, in May 2021, managing the Federal and State Regulatory, Environmental and Real Estate legal teams. He previously worked as a lawyer for Faegre Baker Daniels, now known as Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath, in Minneapolis and Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York City. Long currently serves on the board of directors of the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis.

A few simple pen strokes and a handful of photos is all it took. Those actions are routine for any high school student, but they’re now part of a unique memory for Mitchell Baumann and Sabrina Boyer. The Sheboygan-area students have signed on as the first members of a new Wisconsin Public Service youth apprenticeship program.

WPS employees marked the start of the program by hosting a recent Signing Day ceremony for Baumann, Boyer and their families. The incoming high school seniors officially registered as youth apprentices before putting on WPS hats and committing to a year of hands-on training in natural gas delivery and utility construction.

While many students their age are on summer break, Baumann and Boyer are working full time with WPS, learning how the company safely and reliably delivers natural gas to homes and businesses. WPS field operations employees will provide hands-on training with installing meters, maintaining infrastructure and working safely with natural gas.

Both students will work toward completing the apprenticeship program as part-time employees when the school year resumes in the fall. When they’re finished, Baumann and Boyer will have received at least 450 hours of training that will count toward a future career with WPS.

MGE Energy shareholders heard from executive leadership about MGE Energy’s ongoing clean energy transition during the Company’s virtual annual meeting. Chairman, President and CEO Jeff Keebler discussed the Company’s continued investment in cost-effective, carbon-free energy to achieve its science-based carbon reduction goals. Keebler highlighted the Company’s most recent renewable energy projects, including: 

• Its purchase of 25 megawatts of solar capacity from the 250-MW Darien solar project in Rock and Walworth counties, which came online in early 2025. The purchase also will include 7.5 MW of battery storage capacity. The project’s 75-MW battery system is expected online in 2026.
• Its purchase of 20 MW of solar capacity from the 200-MW Paris Solar project in Kenosha County. The project came online in late 2024. The 110-MW battery storage facility at the Paris site is expected online this year. MGE will own 11 MW of battery storage capacity.
• Two 6-MW solar projects in Fitchburg. Tyto Solar, which came online last year, and Strix Solar, which began serving Madison Gas and Electric (MGE) customers earlier this year, are directly connected to MGE’s distribution system. One-third of the Strix Solar project will serve MGE’s recently approved Shared Solar-Strix program.