Sheboygan’s Edgewater Generating Station, which has provided electricity by burning coal since 1931, will transition to natural gas as a fuel source in 2028. The plans were announced on Thursday by Alliant Energy, which owns the plant. The last remaining generator – Unit 5 – was initially planned to be decommissioned by the end of 2022. On June 23 that year, decommissioning was delayed until June of 2025 due to ongoing supply chain issues as a step to protect against shortages, while a 99 megawatt battery storage facility was announced to be constructed this year, with operations to begin in 2025.
Thursday’s announcement indicated that by operating Edgewater past 2025, the facility will retain more than 350 MW of capacity while the company maintains its clean energy vision to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The move will also avoid an estimated $60 million in customer costs through 2030 according to the announcement.
Alliant Energy’s president and CEO Lisa Barton said that “This evolution of our Wisconsin resource plan is the best option for meeting the future energy demands of our system in the state, providing critical capacity at the lowest cost to customers.. With these changes, we remain committed to lowering carbon emissions, ensuring ongoing reliability and exiting coal in Wisconsin by the end of the decade.”
The conversion of Edgewater from coal to natural gas is projected to take place during 2028 after receiving the necessary regulatory approvals. Once converted, the company expects to operate Edgewater to complement its significant renewable fleet that already includes nearly 1,100 MW of solar generation, 150 MW capacity through the Kossuth Wind Farm, and the approval to add nearly 275 MW of battery storage.
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