MADISON, Wis. (June 14, 2022) – Construction is poised to move forward on the Wautoma Solar Project after state regulators gave final approval to Alliant Energy’s second phase of solar development plans. The 99-megawatt (MW) solar project in the Waushara County town of Dakota and city of Wautoma will generate enough electricity to power nearly 26,000 Wisconsin homes. Alliant Energy expects construction to create more than 100 jobs.
“At Alliant Energy, we’re driven by our commitment to serve customers and build stronger communities,” said David de Leon, president of Alliant Energy's Wisconsin energy company. “We are excited to break ground and begin construction on the Wautoma solar project, a key component of our plans to accelerate toward a cleaner energy future. We expect our solar development plans to create hundreds of new construction jobs and deliver safe, reliable, affordable energy for years to come.”
The company expects to begin construction this summer and finish in late 2023. Alliant Energy will contract with Burns & McDonnell and utilize craft labor from several local union halls.
“We appreciate Alliant Energy’s prioritization of local unionized labor on renewable energy projects,” said Emily Pritzkow, executive director of the Wisconsin Building Trades Council. “Alliant Energy understands the benefits of hiring local labor, the development of a strong workforce through apprenticeships and training, and the ripple effect it has on our local economies, and state as a whole. When businesses partner with the skilled forces of Wisconsin’s unionized building trades, they know they’re going to get a safe, quality product that delivers superior value for everyone.”
The Wautoma Solar Project is among 12 utility-scale solar sites Alliant Energy is developing as part of its Clean Energy Blueprint that will add nearly 1,100 MW of solar energy generation to Wisconsin’s energy grid and help customers avoid more than $1.6 billion in long-term costs. In addition to powering homes and businesses, the Wautoma solar project will generate an estimated $396,000 in annual shared revenues for the communities and county over the next 30 years.
To learn more about this solar project and sign up for quarterly construction updates, visit alliantenergy.com/wautomasolar.
This press release includes forward-looking statements. These statements can be identified because they include words such as “expect,” “will,” “estimated” or other words or expressions of similar import. Similarly, statements that describe future plans or strategies, our clean energy vision, transitioning our energy resources, planned resource additions, and future emissions reductions are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the statements. Actual results could be materially affected by the following factors, among others: the inability to obtain necessary equipment and labor in a timely manner; access to and cost increases of materials, equipment and commodities including due to tariffs, duties or other assessments, such as any additional tariffs resulting from U.S. Department of Commerce investigations into the sourcing of solar project materials and equipment from certain countries, labor issues or supply shortages, the ability to successfully resolve warranty issues or contract disputes, the ability to achieve the expected level of tax benefits based on tax guidelines and project costs, and the ability to efficiently utilize the renewable generation and storage project tax benefits for the benefit of customers; governmental actions that delay or reject the proposed generation construction plans, or that include terms that make the future generation construction plans uneconomical; unanticipated construction issues, delays or expenditures; failure of equipment and technology to perform as expected; political conditions in Alliant Energy’s service territories; changes to Alliant Energy’s access to capital markets; adverse impacts resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and responses to the pandemic; current or future litigation, regulatory investigations, proceedings or inquiries; and economic conditions in Alliant Energy’s service territory. These factors should be considered when evaluating the forward-looking statements and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. The forward-looking statements included herein are made as of the date hereof and Alliant Energy and Wisconsin Power and Light Company undertake no obligation to update publicly such statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
Alliant Energy Corporation (NASDAQ: LNT) provides regulated energy service to 1 million electric and 425,000 natural gas customers across Iowa and Wisconsin. Alliant Energy's mission is to deliver energy solutions and exceptional service customers and communities count on – safely, efficiently and responsibly. Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL) and Wisconsin Power and Light Company (WPL) are Alliant Energy's two public energy companies. Alliant Energy is a component of Bloomberg’s Gender-Equality Index and the S&P 500. For more information, visit alliantenergy.com and follow Alliant Energy on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X.