Wisconsin Sees $5.6 Billion of Industrial Projects Under Construction

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Industrial Info is tracking more than $5.6 billion worth of projects under construction in Wisconsin. Known for its dairy industry, Wisconsin does contain a few dairy projects that are underway, but it boasts a wide array of other industries, including Pulp & Paper, Power, and Pharmaceutical & Biotech.

Among the largest projects underway in the Badger State is the expansion of Georgia-Pacific LLC's (Atlanta, Georgia) deinked pulp and paper mill in Green Bay. The project entails constructing a 60,000- to 70,000-ton-per-year through-air-dried tissue machine and new converting equipment to convert bath tissue, paper towels and napkins. Construction kicked off last summer and is expected to last until mid-2024. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Pulp & Paper Project Database can click here for more details.

Several renewable energy projects also are underway in the state, almost entirely involving solar power. Examples include Alliant Energy Corporation's (NASDAQ:LNT) (Madison Wisconsin) grassroot solar farm in Grant County. The facility will use approximately 750,000 bifacial solar modules on a single-axis tracking system to provide nameplate generation of 200 megawatts (MW). Construction kicked off in the second half of 2022, and construction firm Blattner Energy (Avon, Minnesota) is expected to wrap up the project toward the end of this year or in early 2024. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Power Project Database can click here for the full report.

But Wisconsin hasn't entirely given up fossil fuels, although at least one company is trying to take a somewhat greener approach in their use. WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC) (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is in the process of converting units 1 and 2 at its Elm Road Generating Station in Oak Creek, on the southern outskirts of Milwaukee, to burn 100% natural gas. The primarily coal-fired units can burn 50% natural gas, but after the project's completion, which is expected in the first half of next year, the plant will be able to abandon coal entirely. Subscribers can click here to learn more.

The Pharmaceutical-Biotech Industry accounts for more than $1 billion worth of project activity underway in the state. Kicking off late last year was Merck KGaA (Darmstadt, Germany) subsidiary MilliporeSigma's addition of a 65,000-square-foot building on its campus in Sheboygan Falls for the production of nitrocellulose membranes. The material will be used for purposes such as rapid antigen tests for COVID-19, detection of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, and pregnancy tests. General contractor J.H. Findorff & Son (Madison, Wisconsin) began construction late last year and is expected to finish the project toward the end of 2024. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Pharmaceutical-Biotech Project Database can click here for more information.

Helping cement Wisconsin's place in the dairy sector is Saputo Incorporated (Montreal, Quebec), which is establishing a grassroot cheese-processing plant in Franklin, located in the southern outskirts of Milwaukee. Construction manager Miron Construction Company Incorporated (Neenah, Wisconsin) is expected to wrap up construction of the 350,000-square-foot building in 2025, when the plant's employees will begin slicing, grating and packaging cheese made at other Saputo facilities before it's distributed to retailers and other wholesale customers. Subscribers can click here for more details.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Database can click here to view reports for all of the projects discussed in this article and click here for the related plant profiles.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).