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XCEL ENERGY PLANS TO NEARLY TRIPLE AMOUNT OF SOLAR BY 2028

Xcel Energy is proposing to add an additional 250-megawatt solar project near the existing Sherco plant site in Becker, Minnesota, which will soon be home to the Upper Midwest’s largest solar development and represents an important piece of the company’s clean energy future.
Xcel Energy has asked the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to add a third solar array adjacent to the 460-megawatt Sherco Solar project already under construction.
The three solar projects are expected to be complete by the end of 2025 and will replace the capacity of the Sherco plant’s first coal unit that is scheduled to retire later this year. As part of its expansion of solar energy it delivers to customers, Xcel Energy is also proposing to purchase power from the 100-megawatt Apple River solar project being developed in northwest Wisconsin.
Sherco Solar is among the largest solar developments in the U.S. and is key to Xcel Energy’s plans to nearly triple the amount of solar on its Upper Midwest system by 2028. The combined projects’ 710-megawatt capacity will generate enough electricity to power more than 150,000 homes each year on average. Solar energy does not have any fuel costs and contributes to a diversified energy mix which helps protect against rising fuel prices. Xcel Energy expects to qualify for federal tax credits that make construction more affordable, helping customers save money.
“These projects will be the lowest-cost solar on our Upper Midwest system and demonstrate our focus on clean energy without compromising affordability,” said Chris Clark, President, Xcel Energy - Minnesota, South Dakota, and North Dakota. “We are committed to moving the Sherco Solar project forward to deliver significant new clean energy to our customers and communities.”
“These solar projects continue our leadership in providing carbon-free energy to customers in the states we serve,” said Karl Hoesly, President, Xcel Energy - Wisconsin and Michigan. “Through their development, these projects also help our communities by creating jobs and supporting local businesses.”
Xcel Energy would develop, own, and operate the third Sherco Solar array. Last fall, the PUC approved the first two solar projects at the Sherco plant site. Construction began on the first project in late April.

KLAPPA, LAUBER HIGHLIGHT EXCEPTIONAL YEAR FOR WEC ENERGY GROUP

At WEC Energy Group's annual meeting of stockholders, Gale Klappa, Executive Chairman, and Scott Lauber, President and CEO, highlighted another strong year on virtually every meaningful measure, from employee safety and customer satisfaction to growth in earnings per share. They also emphasized that the company remains committed to a mission that matters — strengthening the fabric of communities across the Midwest, leading by example and delivering affordable, reliable and clean energy to millions of customers.

Company highlights

  • Reduced carbon emissions from electric generation by nearly 50 percent below 2005 levels.
  • Developed the largest five-year capital plan in company history — including nearly 3,300 megawatts of new renewable capacity to serve We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service customers.
  • Led a pilot program — the first of its kind in the world — to test hydrogen as a fuel source for power generation, in partnership with the Electric Power Research Institute.
  • Continued to strengthen the diversity of company leadership, ending 2022 with the most diverse senior leadership team in company history.
  • Spent $299 million with certified minority-, women-, veteran- and service-disabled-owned businesses.
  • Returned $918 million to WEC Energy Group stockholders through dividends.
  • Increased the dividend level in January 2023 by 7.2 percent to an annual rate of $3.12 per share. This marks the 20th consecutive year of higher dividends

EPA IS PREPARING AGGRESSIVE NEW RULES FOR POWER PLANT POLLUTION

The Biden administration is planning to roll out aggressive new rules to regulate planet-warming pollution from natural gas power plants, three sources familiar with the plan and who have been briefed on the rules told CNN, in a move that could face fierce legal challenges.
President Biden's Environmental Protection Agency has been exploring ways to tighten the rules for not just new power plants that will run on natural gas, but existing plants too, the sources said. According to the sources, the rules would be more stringent than previously planned regulations, which aimed to control pollution from new natural gas power plants and would have effectively grandfathered existing plants into older rules.

XCEL ENERGY RECEIVES $20 MILLION GRANT FOR IRON-AIR MULTI-DAY BATTERY STORAGE

Xcel Energy has announced that Breakthrough Energy Catalyst has agreed to commit $20 million in grant funding to support two multi-day energy storage projects designed to maximize the use of renewable energy while maintaining the reliability of the grid. The grant would provide $10 million each for two 10 MW/1,000 MWh iron-air battery systems, subject to the satisfaction of certain funding conditions.
Xcel Energy and Massachusetts-based Form Energy announced in January an agreement to construct the batteries at the sites of retiring coal plants: the Sherburne County Generating Station in Becker, Minnesota, and the Comanche Generating Station in Pueblo, Colorado. The batteries will allow Xcel Energy to store renewable energy such as solar and wind when it is being produced and then later distribute the energy during periods of lower production.
“Innovative long-duration energy storage technologies are crucial to achieving 100 percent carbon-free electricity,” said Bob Frenzel, Chairman, President and CEO of Xcel Energy. “This Catalyst grant will accelerate adoption of this promising new technology, which allows us to provide higher percentages of renewable energy while still providing affordable electric service to our customers.”

ALLIANT ENERGY ANNOUNCES FIRST QUARTER 2023 RESULTS

Alliant Energy Corporation (NASDAQ: LNT) today announced U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) consolidated unaudited earnings per share (EPS) for the three months ended March 31 as follows:

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DAY AT THE CAPITOL THANK YOU!

Thank you to all the WUI Members who travelled by car or bus to the State Capitol on May 10th to represent more than 50,000 Wisconsin Utility Shareowners before 43 State Senators and Representatives. It was a beautiful day and the tulips around the state capitol were in full bloom. A special Thank you to the Chairman of the Utility & Technology Committee, Julian Bradley, who spoke to our group following lunch.

ENERGY ISSUES IN THE STATE LEGISLATURE

The Wisconsin Legislature kicked off it’s 2023-24 biennial session in late January and is currently busy reworking the State Budget. The revised Budget is expected to be adopted by the Legislature by the end of the fiscal year – June 30, 2023. Then, the Legislature will return to Madison in September to consider individual bills including at least two proposals that could impact your utility investments.

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XCEL ENERGY REPORTS ON PROGRESS RECOVERING WATER LEAKED AT MINNESOTA PLANT

Xcel Energy has reported on steps taken to contain and manage a water leak detected by routine groundwater monitoring systems at its Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant late last year. Xcel Energy took swift action to contain the leak to the plant site, which poses no health and safety risk to the local community or the environment.

Xcel Energy notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, as well as the state, on November 22, 2022, the day the leak was confirmed. The company has since coordinated regularly with state and federal regulators, as well as local officials.

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FOXCONN, WE ENERGIES PARTNERING ON SOLAR PROJECT ON MOUNT PLEASANT CAMPUS

Foxconn and We Energies 2,000 panels on the Taiwan-based company’s Mount Pleasant campus. Foxconn Technology Group describes the effort as “one of the largest nonresidential solar projects in Racine County” and said it is “committed to integrating green and sustainable practices throughout our operations.”

“As Foxconn’s operations in Wisconsin expand in response to market demand, the presence of renewable energy resources within the park demonstrates our commitment to environmental stewardship across the manufacturing supply chain to our customers and the community,” the company’s statement said. We Energies will install, own and maintain the 1-megawatt project which is capable of producing enough energy to power 300 homes. Renderings show the solar panels being installed around retention ponds at the company’s Mount Pleasant campus.

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XCEL ENERGY PROPOSES ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR CUSTOMERS’ BILLS

Xcel Energy has filed a request with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to create a new program to expand assistance to lower-earning households who need additional assistance to pay their energy bills. The proposal for the new program followed several months of discussion and coordination with the Citizens Utility Board.

The company’s proposal would make it the first utility in Wisconsin to offer a targeted assistance program and would increase the total amount of income-qualified support by fifty percent or an estimated five million dollars annually. As part of the new program, customers who already receive assistance from the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program would be automatically enrolled.

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BILL PROPOSED CONCERNING WIND TURBINE PROJECTS

Two Republican state lawmakers want to give local governments more say over wind turbine projects. Citing public health concerns, Senator Andre Jacque and Representative Ty Boden seek co-sponsors on a bill to restore the ability of towns and counties to impose restrictions on new turbine projects that are more restrictive than Public Service Commission rules.

A sponsorship memo cites the January collapse of a wind turbine in Dodge County, and notes turbine projects may potentially not be a good fit in some areas given the density of rural homes.

WEC ENERGY GROUP ANNOUNCES ORGANIC FLOW BATTERY STORAGE PROJECT

WEC Energy has announced that the company will lead a pilot project at its Valley Power Plant in Milwaukee to test a new form of long-duration energy storage. WEC Energy Group is collaborating with EPRI, an independent, nonprofit energy research and development institute, and CMBlu Energy, the developer and manufacturer of the long-duration battery based in California and Germany. This 1-to-2-megawatt-hour pilot project will be one of the first to test this type of energy storage system on the U.S. electric grid.

REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS ANNOUNCED AT XCEL ENERGY

Xcel Energy's Wisconsin and Michigan’s new President, Karl Hoesly, recently announced the promotion of Mara Ascheman as Regional Vice President of Rates and Regulatory Affairs and Tyrel Zich as Regional Vice President of Regulatory Policy. Both will report directly to President Hoesly.

Ms. Ascheman is currently a principal regulatory attorney with more than 12 years’ experience representing Xcel Energy before the Wisconsin and Minnesota state regulatory commissions in a wide variety of electric and natural gas proceedings. In her new role she will direct the development of regulatory rate case filings and Public Service Commission permitting and oversee the revenue requirements for the Wisconsin and Michigan Company.

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ATC ANNOUNCES PROMOTIONS

American Transmission Company has promoted four executives who reflect the company’s commitment to the strategic vision of providing safe, reliable transmission service in an increasingly complex electric grid. Jared Winters has been named Vice President, construction and asset maintenance. Debbie Masbruch has been named Vice President, Project Controls, Supply Chain and Analytics. Sarah Justus has been named Director, Major Project Development. Michelle Stokes has been named Director, Field Services.

Chairman of the Board, President and CEO Mike Rowe said, “Promoting these individuals sets ATC up for success as we meet the business challenges of the evolving energy landscape and our strategic priorities.”

ALLIANT ENERGY APPOINTS LISA BARTON PRESIDENT AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Alliant Energy Corporation has announced the appointment of Lisa M. Barton to the newly created role of President and Chief Operating Officer, effective February 27, 2023. In this role, Ms. Barton will work closely with John O. Larsen, Alliant Energy’s Chair and Chief Executive Officer, to execute the company’s investment growth plan and continue advancing Alliant Energy’s work to enable a clean energy future for the customers and communities Alliant Energy serves. She will oversee the company’s two public utility subsidiaries, Interstate Power and Light and Wisconsin Power and Light, as well as Alliant Energy’s customer experience, sustainability and regulatory strategies.

Ms. Barton most recently served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of American Electric Power, one of the largest electric utility companies in the United States. She was responsible for all of AEP’s regulated operations across eleven states and for the health and safety of 16,700 employees. Ms. Barton is known as a passionate advocate for a responsible clean energy transition. She is credited with guiding AEP’s expansion into regulated renewables and shaping the company’s grid reliability and resiliency initiatives.

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FOR THE THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR, ALLIANT ENERGY NAMED ONE OF AMERICA’S MOST RESPONSIBLE COMPANIES

Alliant Energy was recognized as a top-25 company in the energy and utility industry based on a combination of its environmental, social and governance scores. This ranking accounts for the progress made in renewable energy, inclusivity in the workplace and social causes.

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WE ENERGIES CREWS HELPED RESTORE POWER AFTER DESTRUCTIVE STORMS IN CALIFORNIA

Nearly fifty employees from We Energies and its sister company Wisconsin Public Service were sent to California, working to get the lights back on for tens of thousands of people who lost power from a recent series of strong storms. 

The We Energies and WPS crews were part of mutual aid efforts to help Pacific Gas and Electric address outages from storms, flooding and mudslides. The crews loaded their trucks and left Wisconsin Saturday, January 7. Brendan Conway, WEC Energy Group Media Relations Director, reported that as the crew was leaving California after completing their work, they stopped at the scene of an accident and were instrumental in saving a woman's life.

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ATC AWARDS $65,000 TO 18 RECIPIENTS FOR PROJECTS

ATC has collectively awarded $65,000 to 18 recipients across its service area to plant trees and low-growing vegetation through its Community Planting and Pollinator Habitat programs. Now in its 10th year, ATC has given over 300 community awards for these projects totaling more than $625,000.

Vegetation funded through the Community Planting Program requires that communities plant trees outside of high-voltage transmission line rights-of-way. Low growing, compatible vegetation funded through the Pollinator Habitat Program allows entities to cultivate species within the rights-of-way that benefit pollinator food and habitat. Both programs help maintain electric reliability of the transmission system by keeping tall-growing vegetation outside the rights-of-way. Recipients of both programs commit to comply with ATC’s maintenance standards for all current and future planting plans, and urban forestry activities near high-voltage electric transmission lines.

Ave Bie elected to WEC Energy Group board of directors

Ave M. Bie, a business law, utilities and energy attorney, has been appointed to the board of directors of WEC Energy Group Her appointment is effective Jan. 1, 2023.

"We're delighted that Ave has agreed to join the WEC Energy Group board," said Gale Klappa, Executive Chairman. "Her extensive public and private experience in the utility sector will add another layer of depth to an engaged and effective board of directors."

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MGE HELPING PROPERTY OWNERS MANAGE ENERGY USE

Madison Gas and Electric in partnership with FOCUS ON ENERGY®, has kicked off strategic energy management workshops this summer for multifamily households and property owners. The effort aims to create awareness and boost energy savings from the building level to tenants’ units.

“We are working directly with property managers in our service area and with a variety of buildings in their portfolios,” according to MGE’s Charles Warner, Senior Residential Customer and Digital Engagement Manager - Residential and Community Services. “Our two-pronged approach focuses on operations/maintenance and tenant engagement.”

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