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We Energies starts new renewable energy plants to serve data centers

From JSOnline:

Francesca Pica

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Developers have broken ground on three major We Energies projects as power demand from artificial intelligence data centers grows.

We Energies announced Aug. 4 that construction began for three clean energy projects that combined can power around 100,000 homes. They include a $443 million solar and battery project in Rock County, $355 million wind farm in Iowa and Grant counties, and $106 million battery storage facility in Walworth County.

About half of each facility’s capacity will serve the $15 billion Port Washington data center project run by Vantage Data Centers, Oracle and OpenAI. Under the terms of We Energies’ new data center electric rate, the tech companies must cover an equivalent portion of construction costs.

Chicago-based developer Invenergy will build the power plants before selling them to three utility companies. We Energies will own a majority of each facility, with the rest split between Madison Gas and Electric and the Wisconsin Public Service Corporation.

All three projects were approved by the state Public Service Commission. They will create around 450 construction jobs, We Energies says.

The facilities come as statewide energy demand is expected to rise 40% by 2032. Large data centers like the Port Washington and Mount Pleasant campuses are responsible for most of the increase, according to estimates from state regulators.

In response, We Energies parent company WEC Energy Group is eyeing $20 billion in new energy investments over the next few years. We Energies has designated several other new solar, wind and natural gas projects as resources for data centers, some of which are still waiting approval.

“These renewable energy projects are part of our strategy to strengthen reliability through a balanced mix of Wisconsin-based energy sources, including renewables and state-of-the-art natural gas plants,” We Energies President Mike Hooper said in a statement Aug. 4.

The proposed natural gas-fired plants include a 1.1-gigawatt facility in Kenosha County and a 342-megawatt project in Walworth County, both built by Invenergy. They total $2.3 billion and are pending PSC approval.

Residents and environmental advocates voiced opposition to the plants at public hearings in July, saying they serve a few tech giants at the expense of public health.

We Energies says it has more than three gigawatts of solar and wind projects and 600 megawatts of battery storage in service, under construction or pending PSC approval.

Francesca Pica can be reached at fpica@usatodayco.com

From: https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/energy/2026/08/05/we-energies-begins-work-on-renewable-energy-projects-for-data-centers/91167581007/

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Air quality alerts are back, but this time, wildfires aren't to blame

From JSOnline:

Caden Perry

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

atmos

Don't the Milwaukee skies look too clear for an air quality alert?

Yes and no. Your eyes aren't fooling you, the skies are clear Wednesday, June 3. Canadian wildfires are not at a level where smoke is carried across the Midwest yet.

But the air is still poor quality. The National Weather Service issued an air quality alert June 3 morning, the first one in 2026. An uncommon set of weather conditions is actually trapping ozone on the ground level we breathe in.

Normally, ozone emissions rise higher into the atmosphere. A layer of warm, slow air is holding those emissions down in what National Weather Service meteorologist Benjamin Sheppard described as a subsidence inversion pattern.

Ozone is highly toxic to the respiratory system and the American Lung Association describes it akin to a sunburn for your lungs. It forms in a reaction between nitrogen oxide and sunlight.

Milwaukee has an abundance of sunlight June 3 with sunny skies expected to persist all day Wednesday and Thursday, June 4.

Strung all together, industrial nitrous oxide is reacting to ample sunlight but the ozone byproduct isn't leaving our breathing air like it should.

Canada wildfires still too far away from Wisconsin for smoke concerns

It's tough to call out smoke forecasts very far in advance. Even if wildfires in Canada get to the abundant levels, the smoke might never affect Wisconsin if the weather doesn't carry the smoke to the area.

According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, there are only a handful of wildfires near the Wisconsin border, and most are being held back as of June 3 morning.

The biggest threat for smoky conditions in Wisconsin are two Ontario wildfires considered "out of control," one east of Lake Nipigon and another east of Thunder Bay.

With winds moving especially slow in Wisconsin, it is highly unlikely the smoke will carry over to any part of the state.

Forecast: Will wildfire smoke hit Wisconsin this summer? That depends on Canada

Canada wildfire forecasts through July

While smoke is unlikely for early June, there is still an open window for other smoky days you should close your window for this summer.

Natural Resources Canada forecasts wildfire conditions through July. The department reports that provinces on the Great Lakes borders will have a higher than average number of severe wildfires this year.

Manitoba province, mostly on the Minnesota border, is expected to have especially severe wildfires with seasonal conditions that favor fire's ability to spread rapidly.

This Year: Wildfires are down in Wisconsin so far in 2026. Here's why

From: https://www.jsonline.com/story/weather/2026/06/03/whats-causing-milwaukees-poor-air-quality-june-3-if-not-wildfires/90386493007/

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