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WI — Power Infrastructure Updated 2026-01-08

Wisconsin

MISO Natural Gas Nuclear Solar Wind Storage Data Center PPAs Queue Bottlenecks Transmission Constraints

Overview

Wisconsin is building firm power capacity in its southeast and south-central regions to meet growing data center demand, led by 1,100 MW of natural gas turbines at South Oak Creek and a decades-long license extension for the Point Beach nuclear plant. Solar, wind, and battery storage projects are moving through the Public Service Commission (PSC) pipeline, but the real bottleneck is transmission — American Transmission Company’s $1.4 billion proposal for the Port Washington data center shows that multi-gigawatt loads now require multi-year grid upgrades. Meanwhile, MISO’s interconnection queue backlog stretches study cycles to 3-4 years, far beyond the one-year tariff timeline.

Generation Projects

Natural Gas

Wisconsin Electric Power Company (WE Energies) is adding over 1.2 GW of natural gas capacity in the southeast.

  • South Oak Creek CT Project: Five single-cycle turbines totaling up to 1,100 MW at the South Oak Creek facility, with PSC approval in July 2025, construction starting May 2026, and completion targeted for Winter 2027-Summer 2028.[1]
  • Paris RICE Project: Seven natural gas reciprocating internal combustion engines totaling 128 MW at the Paris regulator station in Kenosha County, interconnected to the Paris substation.[2]

Nuclear

Point Beach Units 1 and 2 will operate for decades longer after the Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued subsequent renewed operating licenses on September 29, 2025. This is Wisconsin’s largest nuclear plant and provides firm, carbon-free baseload power.[3]

Solar

Major utility-scale solar projects are in the PSC certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN) process.

  • Whitewater Solar: A 180 MWac solar project in Jefferson and Walworth counties with a 138 kV substation and generation tie-line.[4]
  • Akron Solar: A 200 MWac solar project in Adams and Wood counties, paired with a 200 MWac battery energy storage system and a 138 kV generation tie-line.[5]

Wind

Badger Hollow Wind is an 118 MWac wind project in Grant and Iowa counties with a 345 kV generation tie-line to the Hill Valley substation.[6]

Transmission and Grid

Wisconsin’s transmission system is under pressure from new large loads, especially in the southeast.

  • Western Wisconsin Transmission Connection (WWTC): A MISO long-range transmission plan (LRTP) project includes a new 345 kV line linking Tremval-Eau Claire-Jump River substations, plus substation expansions and rebuilds across Chippewa, Clark, Eau Claire, and Trempealeau counties.[7]
  • Port Washington data center transmission project: American Transmission Company filed a $1.4 billion transmission proposal to build new lines, rebuild existing lines, and add substations to serve a large load request tied to the Vantage Port Washington data center development, which is expected to draw 1.3 GW.[8]

Battery Storage

Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are being added to support ramping and grid flexibility, though total capacity remains below data center load expectations.

  • Sunnyside Project: Madison Gas & Electric (MGE) received PSC approval for 20 MW of solar paired with a 40 MW/160 MWh battery system in Fitchburg, with construction starting in 2025 and completion in 2026.[9]
  • Akron Solar BESS: A 200 MWac battery storage system paired with the Akron Solar project in Adams and Wood counties.[5]
  • Columbia Energy Storage Project: Alliant Energy is building a 20 MW/200 MWh CO₂ battery at the Columbia Energy Center in the Town of Pacific, Columbia County, with PSC approval, construction starting in 2026, and operation expected in 2027.[10]

Data Center Power Agreements

Wisconsin has at least one confirmed data center power arrangement, though details on power purchase agreements (PPAs) remain limited.

  • Meta Beaver Dam data center: Meta announced it will match the facility’s electricity use with 100% clean and renewable energy and has worked with Alliant Energy on energy planning, but the announcement does not name a specific PPA or project.[11]

Interconnection Queue

MISO’s December 2024 queue update reports a growing backlog that pushes study cycles to 3-4 years versus the one-year tariff timeline. The update also flags resource adequacy risks driven by economic development and new large load additions.[12]

For Wisconsin, the Western Wisconsin Transmission Connection and Port Washington transmission proposals signal that new large loads will require long-lead upgrades, not just generation additions.

What to Watch

  • Port Washington transmission timeline: The $1.4 billion American Transmission Company proposal is the largest near-term grid investment tied to a Wisconsin data center project.
  • PSC review of data center contracts: Confirm whether PSC filings or utility contracts disclose Wisconsin-specific PPAs or special contracts tied to Microsoft (Mount Pleasant), Vantage (Port Washington), or QTS (Dane County).
  • MISO queue reform: Any changes to MISO’s interconnection process could accelerate or further delay renewable and storage projects in the Wisconsin pipeline.

Sources

[1] Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, “PSC Oak Creek Generation Project,” n.d., https://psc.wi.gov/Pages/CommissionActions/CasePages/OakCreekGeneration.aspx (accessed 2026-01-08).

[2] Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, “PSC Paris Generation Project,” n.d., https://psc.wi.gov/Pages/CommissionActions/CasePages/ParisGeneration.aspx (accessed 2026-01-08).

[3] U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, “NextEra Energy Point Beach, LLC; Point Beach Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2; Subsequent License Renewal and Record of Decision,” Federal Register, October 1, 2025, https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/10/01/2025-19194/nextera-energy-point-beach-llc-point-beach-nuclear-plant-units-1-and-2-subsequent-license-renewal (accessed 2026-01-08).

[4] Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, “PSC Whitewater Solar Project,” n.d., https://psc.wi.gov/Pages/CommissionActions/CasePages/WhitewaterSolar.aspx (accessed 2026-01-08).

[5] Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, “PSC Akron Solar Project,” n.d., https://psc.wi.gov/Pages/CommissionActions/CasePages/AkronSolar.aspx (accessed 2026-01-08).

[6] Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, “PSC Badger Hollow Wind Project,” n.d., https://psc.wi.gov/Pages/CommissionActions/CasePages/BadgerHollowWind.aspx (accessed 2026-01-08).

[7] Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, “PSC Western Wisconsin Transmission Connection Project,” n.d., https://psc.wi.gov/Pages/CommissionActions/CasePages/WesternWisconsin.aspx (accessed 2026-01-08).

[8] Wisconsin Public Radio, “$1.4B transmission line project proposed for Port Washington data center,” October 17, 2025, https://www.wpr.org/news/1-4b-transmission-line-project-proposed-port-washington-data-center (accessed 2026-01-08).

[9] Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, “PSC Sunnyside Solar Energy Center Project,” n.d., https://psc.wi.gov/Pages/CommissionActions/CasePages/SunnysideSolar.aspx (accessed 2026-01-08).

[10] Alliant Energy/Wisconsin Power and Light, “Columbia Energy Storage Project (fact sheet),” 2025, https://www.alliantenergy.com/-/media/alliant/documents/ourenergy/energystorage/columbiaenergystorageprojectfactsheet3.pdf (accessed 2026-01-08).

[11] Meta Data Centers, “Hello, Beaver Dam!,” November 12, 2025, https://datacenters.atmeta.com/2025/11/hello-beaver-dam/ (accessed 2026-01-08).

[12] Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), “Generator Interconnection Queue Update (System Planning Committee of the Board of Directors),” December 10, 2024, https://cdn.misoenergy.org/20241210%20System%20Planning%20Committee%20of%20the%20BOD%20Item%2004%20Generator%20Interconnection%20Queue%20Update665714.pdf (accessed 2026-01-08).