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MGE ENERGY: NEWS

REDUCES FLAT CHARGES AS PART OF SETTLEMENT
Madison Gas and Electric has agreed to reduce the flat monthly fees charged to all electricity customers. Those customers will now pay slightly more for the electricity they actually use, according to an agreement filed in early September that sets rates for the next two years.

MGE agreed to trim the monthly residential customer service fee by $2 in each of the next two years, bringing it to $15 in 2023. That’s the lowest it’s been since 2014, when regulators approved an 82% increase.

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SB490: CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATOR!

At the 2021 Annual Membership meeting members heard from Kristin Gilkes, Executive Director of the Customers First Coalition. Kristin spoke to the members about Senate Bill 490

Gilkes explained that the bill would authorize community solar programs that could be developed outside of the normal scheme of utility regulation. This would disadvantage the non-participating utility customers who would see their utility bills increase to subsidize those who participate in this unregulated program. She noted that “our neighbors in Minnesota are currently experiencing this preventable disparity.”

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EARNINGS: SECOND QUARTER

WEC ENERGY GROUP DECLARES QUARTERLY DIVIDEND
The Board of Directors of WEC Energy Group has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 67.75 cents per share on the company’s common stock. The dividend was payable September 1, 2021, to stockholders of record on August 13, 2021. This marks the 316th consecutive quarter, dating back to 1942, that the company will have paid a dividend to its stockholders.

WEC ENERGY GROUP REPORTS SECOND-QUARTER RESULTS
WEC Energy Group has reported net income of $276.0 million, or 87 cents per share, for the second quarter of 2021 – up from $241.6 million, or 76 cents per share, for the second quarter last year. For the first six months of 2021, the company recorded net income of $786.1 million, or $2.49 per share – up from $694.1 million, or $2.19 per share, in the corresponding period a year ago. Consolidated revenues totaled $4.4 billion for the first six months of 2021, up $710.3 million from revenues for the first half of 2020.
MGEE SECOND QUARTER EARNINGS
MGE Energy has reported second-quarter net income of $22.9 million. The company said it had profit of 63 cents per share. The public utility holding company posted revenue of $130.7 million in the period. MGE shares have increased thirteen percent since the beginning of the year. The stock has increased twenty-two percent in the last 12 months.
ALLIANT ENERGY ANNOUNCES SECOND QUARTER 2021 RESULTS
Alliant Energy Corporation has announced U.S. generally accepted accounting principles consolidated unaudited earnings per share (EPS) for the three months ended June 30 as follows:
“Our purpose-driven strategy has once again delivered solid financial and operating results,” said John Larsen, Alliant Energy Chair, President and CEO. “We recently hosted an ESG Investor Day, showcasing our Corporate Responsibility Report and highlighting our position as a leading utility in the renewable energy transition. We are pleased to share that solid results through the first half of the year have us currently tracking toward the upper half of our 2021 earnings guidance.”

MAJOR CHANGES AT WE ENERGIES WITH OAK CREEK COAL PLANT SHUTDOWN

When We Energies retires its oldest coal-fired Oak Creek power plants, the company will eliminate 150 or more positions and save about $35 million per year while beginning to analyze natural gas as a possible future energy source for its remaining coal-fired Power the Future plants.

WEC ENERGY GROUP TO ACQUIRE NINETY PERCENT OF SAPPHIRE SKY WIND ENERGY CENTER

WEC Energy Group has announced that the company has agreed to acquire a ninety percent ownership interest in the Sapphire Sky Wind Energy Center. Located in McLean County, Illinois, the project is being developed by Invenergy — a leading global developer and operator of sustainable energy solutions. The Sapphire Sky site will consist of 64 wind turbines with a combined capacity of 250 megawatts. Commercial operation is expected by the end of 2022. Sapphire Sky will generate renewable energy that will be sold under a long-term power purchase agreement with a Fortune 100 global, high-tech company.

WEC Energy Group’s investment is expected to total $412 million for the 90% ownership interest. With this project, the company’s Infrastructure segment has planned investments in eight major wind farms totaling more than 1.5 gigawatts of capacity.

REGULATORS REJECT CLAIMS TRANSMISSION LINE REVIEW WAS TAINTED

State regulators deny they were tainted or biased in their decision to approve a controversial transmission line nearly two years ago. Members of the Public Service Commission have defended their review of the Cardinal-Hickory Creek transmission line as the project’s owners are asking them to revoke that decision and file a new application. The  request follows the discovery of communications between officials linked to companies building the $492 million transmission line and former commissioner Mike Huebsch.

American Transmission Company, ITC Midwest and Dairyland Power Cooperative asked the PSC to file a new application. PSC Chair Rebecca Cameron Valcq spoke strongly against rescinding the order. She rejected claims from project opponents that she and Commissioner Ellen Nowak were tainted in their decision.

XCEL PLANS TO ROLL OUT 10,000 MW OF RENEWABLE ENERGY BY 2030

Xcel Energy is pushing ahead with plans to add 10,000 megawatts of renewable energy generation in Minnesota and Colorado, the utility said during an earnings call with investors. The company plans to continue to advance Xcel’s transition away from fossil-fuel fired plants to renewable sources of energy, having slashed carbon emissions by fifty-one percent in2020 compared to 2005 levels.

CONSTRUCTION SET TO START ON THE 440-ACRE SOLAR PROJECT IN ROCK COUNTY

Ownership of the 50-megawatt North Rock Solar Project, located in the Town of Fulton within Rock County, is officially transitioning from National Grid Renewables to Alliant Energy. This milestone follows recent approval from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin on Alliant Energy’s filing for 675 megawatts of solar.

MGE CELEBRATES COMPLETION OF ONE SOLAR PROJECT AND GROUNDBREAKING OF ANOTHER

On July 27, 2021, a crowd of stakeholders, energy professionals, university staff, faculty, and students gathered to celebrate O’Brien Solar Fields, which are currently the largest solar installation in Dane County. The 140-acre solar field includes 60,318 bifacial panels located along a straight stretch of Seminole Highway in Fitchburg.
While two  days later on the East side of Madison, Madison Gas and Electric representatives were joined by themayor of the City of Madison, representatives of NextEra Energy Resources and members of the Hermsdorf family to celebrate the groundbreaking for an 8-megawatt (MW) solar array in Madison known as the Hermsdorf Solar Fields. The Hermsdorf Solar Fields will provide locally generated solar energy to the City of Madison and the Madison Metropolitan School District under MGE’s innovative Renewable Energy Rider.

MEET THE WUI BOARD OF DIRECTOR NOMINEES

WILLIAM (BILL) FINKE received his Civil Engineering degree from the Univ. of Cincinnati in 1960 followed by his M.B.A. from Xavier University. After graduation, Bill served the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a First Lieutenant, Platoon Leader, and Supply Officer. After his military service, Bill returned to Marquette University Law School where he received his J.D.
For the next 45 years, Bill worked for the Wisconsin Energy Corporation (now WEC Energy Group, Inc.) where he retired as the Senior Corporate Counsel. Bill’s love of trains is evidenced in his early surveying and drafting work as an engineering co-op student during his undergrad years to his pro bono work in retirement for the East Troy Railroad Museum, Inc. d/b/a East Troy Electric Railroad. Bill is active in many community organizations, including the American Legion and Veterans.

THOMAS HANSON retired from Alliant Energy Corporation (AEC) as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in 2016 after a 36-year career with the company. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin with degrees in Accounting and Transportation & Public Utilities, Hansen served AEC his entire career. Working his way up from Accounting to Accounting Supervisor, he worked on tax, treasury, internal audits, and financial planning areas.
He was responsible for strategic planning, investor relations, IT, and insurance and risk management. Hansen served as chair of the Executive Review and Risk Committee, Executive IT Steering Committee, and Investment Committee. Since retiring, Hansen has been volunteering on the boards of multiple non-profits, traveling with his wife, spending time with their 6 grandchildren, and restoring prairie flowers/grasses at their property in Richland County.

CARDINAL-HICKORY CREEK CONCERNS PROMPT UTILITIES TO SEEK NEW PERMIT

American Transmission Company and ITC Midwest have filed requests with the Public Service Commission to rescind the permit for the $492 million Cardinal-Hickory Creek transmission line and reopen the proceedings “to consider next steps.”
The companies had learned that former Commissioner Mike Huebsch had regular communications with an ATC employee, a former ITC contractor, and other individuals over several years while the permit application was before the PSC.
The permit for the line had already been facing legal challenges. The utilities say they don’t know if the messages were related to the project but want to maintain “transparency in the regulatory process.” “The individuals involved in this situation have maintained longstanding personal relationships with each other; however, we are aware this information raises concerns about one of the Commissioners who granted approval of the Cardinal-Hickory Creek Project,” ATC President and CEO Mike Rowe said in a prepared statement. “We understand the speculation this presents, which is also why we have made this unique request to the PSCW and are sharing this information with our employees, our stakeholders and Dane County Circuit Court.”

FEDERAL LICENSING BOARD CONSIDERS CHALLENGE TO WISCONSIN'S LAST NUCLEAR PLANT

A Wisconsin advocacy group has argued that the state’s last operational nuclear power plant shouldn't have their license extended given the environmental impact and safety concerns about the aging infrastructure.
Physicians for Social Responsibility Wisconsin; an antinuclear nonprofit group of health care professionals based in Madison, filed a petition in March challenging the application to renew Point Beach Nuclear Plant’s licenses for an additional 20 years. The Two Rivers power plant is owned by NextEra Energy and its current licenses expire in 2030 and 2033.

XCEL SCRAPPING PLAN TO BUILD NEW 800-MW GAS-FIRED PLANT

Xcel Energy is pivoting from its plan to build a new 800-MW natural gas-fired power plant at the site of its Sherco coal-fired facility in Becker, Minnesota. Instead, Xcel plans to build two smaller gas-fired “peaker” plants, one in Minnesota and one in North Dakota, as part of a new initiative for the utility’s power generation in the Midwest.

Xcel also proposed two repowered gas-fired plants — one in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and another in Wisconsin — that also would run only during periods of high demand for electricity. The utility, based in Minneapolis and with operations in eight states, outlined its proposal in a plan submitted to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on June 25.

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ALLIANT SEEKS RATE INCREASE

Alliant Energy has reached a deal with consumer and environmental advocates to raise gas and electricity rates next year as the utility begins phasing out its coal fleet. If approved by regulators, the new rates would add about $8.50 a month to the typical residential electricity bill and about $5 a month to the average gas bill. Electric rates would not change in 2023, though there could be an adjustment to gas costs.
Alliant says the rate hike is needed to cover the cost of investing nearly $1 billion in solar generation to replace two coal-fired plants, a plan the company projects will save up to $2 billion over the next four decades. While its 475,000 ratepayers will be asked to pay off the remaining $500 million balance on the Edgewater coal plant in Sheboygan, scheduled to close next year, debt restructuring will slightly lower the company's profit on that investment.

CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE FAST CHARGER HUB IN DOWNTOWN MADISON

Madison Gas and Electric continues to advance sustainable transportation with construction of a new electric vehicle (EV) fast charging hub in the heart of the city’s Capitol East District. One of the first of its kind in Wisconsin, the charging hub located at East Washington Avenue and South Livingston Street is expected to begin serving EV drivers later this year.

XCEL ENERGY RECEIVES APPROVAL TO BUILD LARGEST SOLAR PROJECT IN WESTERN WISCONSIN

Xcel Energy’s clean energy transition has taken another significant step forward with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin’s approval of a 74-megawatt solar array in Pierce County, Wis. When completed, the Western Mustang project will be owned and operated by Xcel Energy and be the largest solar facility in western Wisconsin.

“We are pleased to invest in this locally sourced solar facility to provide more renewable energy to our customers,” said
Mark Stoering, president, Xcel Energy, Wisconsin and Michigan. “This project allows us to provide clean, zero-fuel cost energy to help us meet our carbon reduction goals cost effectively and, at the same time, provide economic
development benefits to the area.”

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MGE COMPLETES FITCHBURG SOLAR FARM

Madison Gas and Electric has completed work on Dane County’s largest solar farm to date, which will provide clean energy to local governments and businesses.
MGE President Jeff Keebler said the $31.7 million O’Brien Solar Field in Fitchburg demonstrates that the utility can work with customers to reduce carbon emissions in a cost effective way.
MGE has contracts with the state of Wisconsin, UW Madison, the city of Fitchburg and local businesses Placon Corp., Promega Corp., Tribe 9 Foods and the Willy Street Co-op to buy the project’s energy output.

POTOSI RESIDENTS APPEAL STATE'S APPROVAL OF 1,400-ACRE SOLAR FARM

Potosi residents opposed to the construction of a 1,400- acre solar farm in Grant County have filed a petition with Wisconsin’s utility regulatory agency, seeking a rehearing after the state signed off on the project in May. 

Opponents said the Public Service Commission “abdicated its powers and duties” by approving the 200-megawatt project without sufficiently investigating potential impacts, requiring environmental review and initiating fact-finding studies.
The groundbreaking on the $250 million Grant County Solar Energy Center is expected to occur this fall. The developer,
NextEra Energy Resources, said the 200-megawatt facility could enter service as early as 2022.

MGE'S SHARED SOLAR PROGRAM IS FULLY SUBSCRIBED

Madison Gas and Electric's community solar program, Shared Solar, is now fully subscribed. This optional program provides more than 2,000 residential and business electric customers with sustainable, carbon-free energy from two local areas.

The program, which began serving customers in 2017, expanded with the addition of a 5-megawatt solar array in Middleton. Shared Solar provides customers throughout MGE's electric service territory an easy and affordable way
to power their home or business with local solar. 

WPS PEREGRINE FALCONS SPREAD THEIR WINGS, LEAVE WESTON POWER PLANT NEST BOX

A pair of peregrine falcon chicks nesting at Wisconsin Public Service's (WPS) Weston Power Plant in Rothschild have officially earned their wings by taking their first flights and leaving their nest box.

Courage, a male falcon, took to the skies first earlier last month, with his sister, Siren, learning to soar a couple days later. Both falcons were named in honor of some of the many heroes and helpers of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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