Madison Gas and Electric and two of the WEC Energy Group’s subsidiaries plan to buy a solar project located in Walworth County. The Wisconsin utilities plan to spend $446 million on a 250 MW capacity solar project with battery storage.
The project is being developed by Chicago-based Invenergy. The project includes a batter storage component that could discharge up to 75 MW for four hours. If approved by regulators, it would spread across about 2,000 acres from Delavan to the Rock County line. The project is expected to generate enough electricity to power about 75,000 homes. Subject to approval, construction is expected to begin late in 2021 with the project coming online by the end of 2023.
WEC subsidiaries We Energy and Wisconsin Public Service Corp. would together own 90 per cent while Madison Gas and Electric will own the remaining 10 per cent. The expect that the project will result in lower rates than continuing to run their existing generators. This is the second solar-plus-battery project that MGE and WEC are pursuing. The utilities have also planned to buy a 310 MW solar and storage project currently under development in Kenosha County for a cumulative amount of $426 million.
Last year, WEC announced plans to invest $2 billion in solar, wind and battery projects by 2025 while retiring 1.8 GW of fossil fuel capacity. Meanwhile, MGE has a target to reduce 65 per cent of its carbon emissions by 2030, and both utilities have a goal of carbon-neutral electricity by 2050.