We Energies filed an engineering plan with Wisconsin regulators earlier this month to build a new 750-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant at its existing Wrightstown facility. The proposed station, named the Fox North Energy Center, will be constructed adjacent to the current 619-MW Fox Energy Center in the Fox Valley region. The utility has not disclosed an estimated cost for the project.
What it means
The filing initiates the regulatory review process for a facility that We Energies says is designed to improve grid reliability and support rising electricity demand in Wisconsin. Brendan Conway, a company spokesperson, said, “The engineering plan marks the first step in the review process.” He added that further details will be included in upcoming regulatory filings.
The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin recently released a draft Strategic Energy Assessment projecting state peak electricity demand will rise from 14.2 gigawatts this year to 20 gigawatts by 2032, a 40% increase. The assessment attributes 72% of that projected growth to three major data center developments. We Energies has not confirmed whether the Wrightstown plant will specifically serve data center load.
Construction is scheduled to begin no earlier than 2029, pending necessary approvals, with commercial operation targeted for late 2032. The new facility would add capacity next to the existing Fox Energy Center, which has operated since 2005. A separate report from Environment America Research & Policy Center and Frontier Group, citing U.S. Energy Information Administration data, noted that plans for gas-fired power stations have nearly tripled since early 2023, with a 50% increase in the past eight months driven by data center electricity needs.
Key facts
- 750-MW capacity for the proposed Fox North Energy Center
- Located at the existing Fox Energy Center site in Wrightstown, Wisconsin
- Adjacent to the 619-MW Fox Energy Center (operational since 2005)
- Construction start date: no earlier than 2029
- Commercial operation target: late 2032
- Wisconsin peak demand projected to reach 20 GW by 2032, up from 14.2 GW this year
- 72% of projected demand increase linked to three major data center developments
- No project cost estimate provided by We Energies
Source: We Energies news release