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Project(s): View 7 related projects in PECWeb
Plant(s): View 7 related plants in PECWeb
Released August 05, 2020 | SUGAR LAND
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--WEC Energy Group Incorporated (NYSE:WEC) (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), one of the largest utilities in the Great Lakes region, is faring better than many similar companies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of its major capital-spending projects remain on track to begin and finish construction as scheduled, and the company even upped its pledge to cut its carbon emissions over the next decade by 70%, from its previous goal of 40%. Industrial Info is tracking more than $1 billion worth of active projects from WEC.
Click on the image at right for a map of active WEC energy projects tracked by Industrial Info.
Within the past year, WEC says it has added 11,000 electric customers and 27,000 natural gas customers to its rolls. The company also is adding an increasingly popular energy-generation technology to its portfolio: peak shaving, which stores surplus liquefied natural gas (LNG) to be used during periods with peak demand. These facilities have become particularly important in meeting LNG demand for small-scale applications, such as power generation at individual industrial plants.
WEC is preparing to begin construction later this year on an estimated $185 million peak shaver near Ixonia, Wisconsin, which will process, cool and store LNG to serve the greater Milwaukee area for 10 days during winter, as well as some of the colder days in April. A similar $185 million peak shaver near Bluff Creek, Wisconsin, will serve the state's southernmost areas. For more information, see Industrial Info's reports on the Ixonia and Bluff Creek projects.
Earlier this year, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin approved WEC's Bayport-Pioneer Rebuild Project in northeastern Wisconsin, which will span 21 miles from the Bayport Substation in Brown County to the Pioneer Substation in Oconto County. The 69,000-volt transmission line, which dates back to the 1910s, "needs to be rebuilt and upgraded to better serve the electric needs in Brown and Oconto counties," a WEC official told a Green Bay-area Fox affiliate in March.
Through its 60% ownership of American Transmission Company LLC (ATC) (Pewaukee, Wisconsin), WEC is preparing to begin work in January on the estimated $20.6 million line from Bayport to Sobieski, Wisconsin, which runs 10 miles, and the $22.7 million line from Sobieski to Pioneer, Wisconsin, which runs 11 miles. ATC also is planning an estimated $5 million upgrade to the Pioneer Substation, also beginning in January. For more information, see Industrial Info's project reports on the Bayport-Sobieski and Sobieski-Pioneer lines, and the substation.
WEC Cranks Up Renewable Goals
WEC also announced it plans to spend $900 million on renewable energy generation in Wisconsin over the next four years. "Our plan assumes that we will replace some older fossil fuel generation, and we'll replace that with carbon-free or lower-emitting or zero-emitting generation," a company spokesperson recently told the Prince County Review.
Among WEC's projects set to wrap up later this year is the $550 million Thunderhead Windfarm near Elgin, Nebraska, which is expected to generate 300 megawatts (MW) from more than 100 turbines. The project, which began construction in November and is managed by Invenergy LLC (Chicago, Illinois), has not been materially affected by any COVID-19 precautions, although earlier this year its completion date was pushed back from September. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
WEC already has retired 40% of its coal generation since 2014. Among the capital-spending projects that can be found at now-closed coal-fired power plants is the $15 million dismantlement and demolition of the Presque Isle Power Station in Marquette, Michigan, which generated 450 MW from eight General Electric (NYSE:GE) (Boston, Massachusetts) steam turbines of varying capacities. The project is expected to kick off next summer and wrap up by the end of 2023. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
Despite its pledge to dramatically reduce its carbon emissions, WEC did not announce any new plant closures in its second-quarter earnings statement. The company continues to plan for maintenance-related work at its Weston Power Station in Rothschild, Wisconsin, and Elm Road Generating Station in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, over the next two years; click here for a list.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com.
Click on the image at right for a map of active WEC energy projects tracked by Industrial Info.Within the past year, WEC says it has added 11,000 electric customers and 27,000 natural gas customers to its rolls. The company also is adding an increasingly popular energy-generation technology to its portfolio: peak shaving, which stores surplus liquefied natural gas (LNG) to be used during periods with peak demand. These facilities have become particularly important in meeting LNG demand for small-scale applications, such as power generation at individual industrial plants.
WEC is preparing to begin construction later this year on an estimated $185 million peak shaver near Ixonia, Wisconsin, which will process, cool and store LNG to serve the greater Milwaukee area for 10 days during winter, as well as some of the colder days in April. A similar $185 million peak shaver near Bluff Creek, Wisconsin, will serve the state's southernmost areas. For more information, see Industrial Info's reports on the Ixonia and Bluff Creek projects.
Earlier this year, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin approved WEC's Bayport-Pioneer Rebuild Project in northeastern Wisconsin, which will span 21 miles from the Bayport Substation in Brown County to the Pioneer Substation in Oconto County. The 69,000-volt transmission line, which dates back to the 1910s, "needs to be rebuilt and upgraded to better serve the electric needs in Brown and Oconto counties," a WEC official told a Green Bay-area Fox affiliate in March.
Through its 60% ownership of American Transmission Company LLC (ATC) (Pewaukee, Wisconsin), WEC is preparing to begin work in January on the estimated $20.6 million line from Bayport to Sobieski, Wisconsin, which runs 10 miles, and the $22.7 million line from Sobieski to Pioneer, Wisconsin, which runs 11 miles. ATC also is planning an estimated $5 million upgrade to the Pioneer Substation, also beginning in January. For more information, see Industrial Info's project reports on the Bayport-Sobieski and Sobieski-Pioneer lines, and the substation.
WEC Cranks Up Renewable Goals
WEC also announced it plans to spend $900 million on renewable energy generation in Wisconsin over the next four years. "Our plan assumes that we will replace some older fossil fuel generation, and we'll replace that with carbon-free or lower-emitting or zero-emitting generation," a company spokesperson recently told the Prince County Review.
Among WEC's projects set to wrap up later this year is the $550 million Thunderhead Windfarm near Elgin, Nebraska, which is expected to generate 300 megawatts (MW) from more than 100 turbines. The project, which began construction in November and is managed by Invenergy LLC (Chicago, Illinois), has not been materially affected by any COVID-19 precautions, although earlier this year its completion date was pushed back from September. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
WEC already has retired 40% of its coal generation since 2014. Among the capital-spending projects that can be found at now-closed coal-fired power plants is the $15 million dismantlement and demolition of the Presque Isle Power Station in Marquette, Michigan, which generated 450 MW from eight General Electric (NYSE:GE) (Boston, Massachusetts) steam turbines of varying capacities. The project is expected to kick off next summer and wrap up by the end of 2023. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
Despite its pledge to dramatically reduce its carbon emissions, WEC did not announce any new plant closures in its second-quarter earnings statement. The company continues to plan for maintenance-related work at its Weston Power Station in Rothschild, Wisconsin, and Elm Road Generating Station in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, over the next two years; click here for a list.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com.
