We Energies rolls out plan to add 3 gigawatts to the grid

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We Energies has more than $5 billion in new energy projects planned, which will add nearly 3 gigawatts of power to Wisconsin’s grid.

WEC Energy Group submitted a list of applications to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin for renewable and natural gas projects. It’s a response to new data centers for users such as Microsoft, OpenAI and Oracle, as well as new manufacturing and development, We Energies officials said.

A data center proposed by Vantage Data Centers in Port Washington will use around 1 gigawatt of energy. Microsoft is building a data center in Mount Pleasant and will use more than a gigawatt of electricity after completion. A recent analysis by Clean Wisconsin showed the Mount Pleasant and Port Washington projects combined will use 3.9 gigawatts of electricity, enough to power more than 4 million homes.

In an announcement last week, We Energies said its customer protection plan will ensure data centers pay for power consumption and cost of power generation plants and distribution facilities built to serve them.

“These new power plants reflect our commitment to reliability, economic growth and putting our customers first,” said Mike Hooper, president of We Energies, in a statement. “The addition of new power generation projects will energize Wisconsin’s workforce. Together, these plants and the data centers they power will create thousands of construction jobs and hundreds of full-time high-tech and energy careers.”

We Energies filed plans to build seven solar projects, one battery storage project and two natural gas plants. The company also filed plans to upgrade its current power facilities.

Solar projects would generate more than 1.1 gigawatts, and the battery project would hold 180 megawatts, documents filed with the PSC showed. The natural gas projects would generate around 1.4 gigawatts. Many solar projects are aimed for federal tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act.

We Energies and Madison Gas & Electric want joint ownership of five solar projects in seven counties: Waushara, Juneau, Oconto, Adams, Wood, Walworth and Jefferson. Another facility is planned for Marquette County, Michigan.

• In Waushara County, a 180-megawatt battery storage facility would go with the planned 180 MW solar field. The project is expected to cost $775 million.
• In Juneau County, the utilities proposed to acquire and construct a 225-megawatt solar generation facility. The project will cost around $566.9 million. The utilities expect to award a construction contract by the end of 2026 and completion is expected in May 2029.
• In Oconto County, the utilities proposed to acquire and construct a 100-megawatt solar field. The project will cost around $264.7 million. Applicants expect to award a contract by the end of 2026 and the project is expected to go online in December 2028.
• In Adams and Wood counties, the utilities want to build a 200-megawatt solar facility for around $512 million. A construction contract is expected to be awarded by the end of 2026, and completion is expected in July 2029.
• In Marquette County, Michigan, utilities want to acquire and build a 150-megawatt solar facility for around $393.1 million. The applicants want to award a construction contract by the end of 2026 and expect the project to be completed in December 2028.
• In Jefferson and Walworth Counties, the utilities want a 180-megawatt facility. The project will cost $410.8 million.

Existing facilities at the Elm Road Generating Station in Oak Creek and the Port Washington Power plant would be upgraded under the utility’s plan.

Additionally, We Energies applied to acquire the Foundry Ridge Energy Center in Walworth County and the Red Oak Energy Center in Kenosha County. Chicago-based Invenergy is the developer of both natural gas plants.

The utility proposed to acquire and construct Red Oak Ridge for around $1.7 billion, documents showed. When completed, the project would generate up to 1,125 megawatts. Currently, Invenergy has property rights to around 200 acres in the town of Paris, documents showed.

Construction of Red Oak Ridge is scheduled to begin in October 2026 and is expected to be completed and in partial service by Dec. 31, 2029. Full commercial operation is expected by June 30, 2030.

The Foundry Ridge Energy Center, located in Rock and Walworth counties, is expected to be completed Dec. 31, 2028, and will generate 270 megawatts, an application showed. The construction cost will be around $564.2 million.