Wisconsin wind expansion

In October 2020, the Kossuth Wind Farm became operational. This is a 150 megawatt wind farm located in Kossuth County, Iowa. It generates power on behalf of Wisconsin customers. The Kossuth Wind Farm is located in north-central Iowa, which has consistently strong wind resources. This project can generate enough energy for 57,000 homes.

In early April 2018, we also finalized our acquisition of a 55-megawatt ownership interest in the Forward Wind Energy Center near Brownsville, Wis.

Both of these projects add to our existing fleet of two other wind farms serving Wisconsin customers: Cedar Ridge and Bent Tree.

• We are taking these steps today so that our customers can benefit from the improved economics of wind and receive low-cost, renewable energy for decades.
• Wind has no fuel costs, which helps provide cost stability to customers.

New technologies have helped drive down the cost of wind, making it competitive with other sources of energy.

• Improvements in technology have increased power output. Taller towers capture wind at higher elevations, leading to better performance.
• Turbines and construction costs continue to decrease as the wind market grows.

Tax incentives are only available for a limited period. If we don’t move forward today, we will miss an opportunity to provide our customers with the net benefits that result from investing in wind.

 

• With zero fuel costs, it will help mitigate fluctuations in customer costs from changing fuel prices.
• We are locating wind projects in areas with strong wind resources. As a result, these new resources will produce more energy than if they were located in a lower wind resource area.
• Wind energy is competitive with other, more traditional sources of energy.
• This and other wind projects will contribute to our target to reduce carbon dioxide emissions 50% from 2005 levels by the year 2030 across our entire service area.