MILWAUKEE, March 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- We Energies and
Wisconsin Public Service (WPS), subsidiaries of WEC Energy Group
(NYSE: WEC), are advancing plans for a new 325-megawatt (MW) solar
and battery storage project. The Darien Solar Energy Center is the
company's second proposed large-scale solar and battery project
announced this year.
If approved, the $446 million
Darien Solar Energy Center would feature 250 MW of solar
generation, which is equal to powering 75,000 homes, and 75 MW of
battery storage, which can store solar-generated power and provide
customers with "sunshine after sunset." The project is planned to
be built in Rock and Walworth counties, Wisconsin.
Last month, the companies announced plans for the 310-MW Paris
Solar-Battery Park. If approved, the $426
million Paris project will
be built in Kenosha County,
Wisconsin.
"For the second time this year, we are demonstrating our
commitment to a clean energy future with a major investment in
renewable energy," said Tom
Metcalfe, president — We Energies and WPS. "Not only will
these projects maintain reliability and deliver significant
savings, building these facilities in Wisconsin will create green jobs and help
drive the state's economy."
The Darien and Paris projects
are part of WEC Energy Group's plan to invest $2 billion in new solar, wind and battery storage
projects for its utilities by 2025. These clean energy investments
are an important part of the company's goal to reduce carbon
emissions 55 percent by 2025 and 70 percent by 2030.
The companies filed the Darien solar and battery storage
proposal this week with the Public Service Commission of
Wisconsin. If approved, WEC Energy
Group utilities We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service would own
90 percent of the project. Madison Gas and Electric would own the
other 10 percent.
The project is being developed by Invenergy. If approved,
construction is expected to begin in late 2021, and the project is
scheduled to go into service by the end of 2023.
WEC Energy Group (NYSE: WEC), based in Milwaukee, is one of the nation's premier
energy companies, serving 4.6 million customers in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota.
The company's principal utilities are We Energies, Wisconsin
Public Service, Peoples Gas, North Shore Gas, Michigan Gas
Utilities, Minnesota Energy Resources and Upper Michigan Energy
Resources. Another major subsidiary, We Power, designs, builds and
owns electric generating plants. In addition, WEC Infrastructure
LLC owns a growing fleet of renewable generation facilities in the
Midwest.
WEC Energy Group (wecenergygroup.com) is a Fortune 500
company and a component of the S&P 500. The company has
approximately 42,000 stockholders of record, 7,300 employees and
$37 billion of
assets.
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SOURCE WEC Energy Group