News

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.

The Rural Energy Startup Program (RESP) is funded by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) and supports communities taking initial steps to reduce energy use, reduce fossil fuel emissions, and improve energy efficiency.  

To be eligible, applicants must be a unit of local government (city, village, town, county) that was not eligible to receive a direct allocation from Department of Energy (DOE).

Rural municipal zip codes are identified as those within “any area of a State not in a city or town that has a population of more than 50,000 inhabitants, not in the urbanized area contiguous and adjacent to a city or town that has a population of more than 50,000 inhabitants, and excluding certain populations pursuant to 7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(H) and (I).” OEI has aligned its definition of rural with that use in USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program and the Focus on Energy program’s rural bonus incentives.

Rural counties are identified by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) using census data to establish a range of rural and urban classifications known as Rural-Urban Continuum (RUC) codes, with RUC of 4 to 9 considered rural. USDA’s Economic Research Service presents this information visually for Wisconsin by county.

To be given priority, applicants must be within a Disadvantaged Community or have a DAC located within the planned project area.

On May 14th, Wisconsin Utility Investors Day at the Capitol, 18 out of 33 Senators and 25 Assembly Representatives hosted meetings with Wisconsin Utility Investor members.

Executive Director James Buchen kicked off the busy day by preparing WUI member attendees for meetings with their State Senator and Representative by providing a legislative analysis of the Right of First Refusal (ROFR) legislation. Ellen Nowak, Vice President of State and Federal Affairs at ATC, offered insights into the bill's historical, economic, and practical aspects to facilitate engagement during their meetings.

WUI members enjoyed lunch at the Best Western Park Hotel while Representative David Steffen, Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Energy and Utilities, addressed the group. Rep. Steffen assured the audience that legislators value input from their constituents to understand how various pieces of legislation will impact the people they represent. The members were also briefed on current legislation aimed at securing our energy future through investments in new nuclear power plants.

If you weren’t able to join us on May 14, you can still contact your legislators and urge them to vote “YES” on Senate Bill 28 and Assembly Bill 25.

Click Here to identify your Senator and Representative and send them an email message. Or write them a letter addressed to Senator or Representative [name], P.O. Box 7882, Madison WI 53707.

Madison Gas and Electric has received approval from the Public Service  Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) to build a 20-megawatt (MW) solar array and 40-MW battery storage system in Fitchburg. Known as the Sunnyside Solar Energy Center, the project will provide locally generated solar energy to MGE's distribution system.

The new energy center will be located off Whalen Road. The 20 MW of solar capacity is expected to generate enough electricity annually to serve about 6,000 households. The 40 MW of four-hour battery storage will provide electricity during times when energy demand is greatest and when renewable capacity is insufficient to meet all customer needs. EDF Renewables is the project developer. The solar array is expected to begin serving customers in 2026, with the battery storage expected in 2027.