Wisconsin-based We Energies has announced a plan to build a new natural gas-fired power plant at the site of an existing gas-fired facility in the state. The utility earlier this month filed an engineering plan with state regulators for construction of a 750-MW station at the Fox Energy Center, in Wrightstown in the Fox Valley region.
The utility did not reveal an estimated cost for the project, which it calls the Fox North Energy Center. Brendan Conway, a spokesperson for We Energies, in a statement said the new plant will improve power grid reliability and support the growing need for electricity in Wisconsin. “The engineering plan marks the first step in the review process,” Conway said. “Additional information about the project will be provided through regulatory filings in the coming months.”
A recent draft Strategic Energy Assessment from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin said the state’s peak electricity demand will rise from about 14.2 GW this year and top 20 GW by 2032, a more than 40% increase. The assessment said some 72% of that projected increase is related to three major data center developments planned in the state.
We Energies has not said whether the Wrightstown plant would serve a data center. The new station would be adjacent to the existing 619-MW gas-fired Fox Energy Center, which has operated since 2005. The utility in its proposed timeline for the new plant said construction would not begin until 2029, with the station expected to enter commercial operation in late 2032 if it receives the necessary regulatory approvals.
States across the U.S. have seen numerous proposals to build new natural gas-fired power plants in recent years. A report released earlier this month from Environment America Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group said that data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows plans for grid-connected gas-fired power stations have nearly tripled since early 2023, with a nearly 50% increase in the past eight months. The groups said rising demand for electricity from data centers is driving the buildout.
POWER has previously reported on the growing development of natural gas-fired power plants that is in part driven by artificial intelligence and data centers. That includes recent acquisitions of gas-fired facilities by major U.S. power generators such as Vistra and LS Power.
—Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER.
