State utility regulators have signed off on an energy developer’s proposal to build a pair of new natural gas power plants in southern Wisconsin tied to rapidly growing electricity demand from data centers.
The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin on Thursday unanimously approved Chicago-based Invenergy’s applications for the Foundry Ridge Energy Center in Walworth County and the Red Oak Ridge Energy Center in Kenosha County.
Together, the projects will be able to generate roughly 1.5 gigawatts. Invenergy hopes to bring the smaller, 324-megawatt Walworth County plant online in 2028, and the larger, nearly 1.2-gigawatt Kenosha County plant online in 2030.
The Kenosha County plant would be the second-largest of the state’s 29 existing natural gas power plants, while the Walworth County plant would be the 12th-largest, according to a report from researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
In a statement, Daniel Runyan, senior vice president of development for Invenergy, thanked the commission and “all who participated” in the process.
“Invenergy is proud to provide practical solutions to increase domestic energy supply and keep Wisconsin’s economy growing,” Runyan stated. “Foundry Ridge and Red Oak Ridge will join solar, battery storage, and wind power across the state, generating reliable power and good-paying jobs for the bright future ahead.”
Invenergy filed documents with the Public Service Commission last year to build the projects.
We Energies has applied to acquire the natural gas plants as part of a plan to add new generation resources to the grid to meet rising electricity demand.
The cost of acquiring and building both natural gas plants is more than $2 billion, according to the utility’s applications.