MADISON — Wisconsin’s Public Service Commissioners unanimously approved new natural gas plants in Oak Creek and the Town of Paris in Kenosha County.
The three-person commission signed off on the $1.5 billion plan that includes natural gas pipelines and storage facilities.
“The Commission’s decision today is an important next step in our efforts to meet growing electric demand across southeast Wisconsin,” Mike Hooper, President of We Energies said in a statement. “We are making the grid cleaner and greener while ensuring the lights stay on — no matter the weather — because we know that’s what matters most to our customers.”
The gas plants are part of We Energies’ goal to invest in more mixed-energy plants so it can close down older, less efficient power plants. The new Oak Creek plant would emit $3.5 million less tons of carbon dioxide per year compared to the current coal plant there, according to We Energies.
But critics are concerned the plants will still pollute air quality in Southeast Wisconsin — the PSC received hundreds of public comments in opposition.
The Citizens Utility Board of Wisconsin questions whether future energy demands will be enough to justify the project. We Energies expects a demand for additional power largely from the Microsoft data center under construction in Mount Pleasant.
“We Energies put the cart before the horse on this project and didn’t provide a firm, ironclad commitment on how much energy the data center will require,” Tom Content, Executive Director of Citizens Utility Board of Wisconsin said in a statement.
We Energies says construction will begin on the natural gas plants this year.