We Energies and Madison Gas and Electric (MGE) have announced a new partnership to acquire the remaining 150 MW of the Badger Hollow Solar Farm.
We Energies and MGE filed a joint application with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. We Energies will own 100 MW, and MGE will own 50 MW.
Badger Hollow will be sited near the villages of Montfort and Cobb in Iowa County, Wis., located in the southwestern part of the state. The 300 MW project is being developed by Chicago-based Invenergy.
We Energies serves more than 1.1 million electric customers and 1.1 million natural gas customers in Wisconsin. We Energies is the trade name of Wisconsin Electric Power Co. and Wisconsin Gas LLC, utility subsidiaries of WEC Energy Group Inc.
“This is another significant step in our transition to a clean energy future,” says Kevin Fletcher, president and CEO of WEC Energy Group. “Along with the environmental benefits of solar energy, this purchase will lower costs to customers over the life of the project.”
In May, MGE and Wisconsin Public Service, another subsidiary of WEC Energy Group, received regulatory approval to own a combined total of 150 MW at Badger Hollow. MGE will own 50 MW, and WPS will own 100 MW of this first phase of the project. Commercial operation of this phase is expected by the end of 2020.
“This addition of cost-effective solar energy will help MGE reach our goal of net-zero-carbon electricity by the year 2050 while also helping us to manage long-term costs to our customers,” says Jeff Keebler, MGE’s chairman, president and CEO. “This is yet another step in our active transition toward greater use of cleaner energy sources to serve our community.”
