State utility regulators are projecting a sharp rise in electricity demand over the next several years, according to a draft report from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, reported by Wisconsin Public Radio.
The report estimates peak electricity demand in Wisconsin will grow from 14.2 gigawatts to more than 20 gigawatts by 2032 — a jump of more than 40% in six years. More than 72% of that growth is tied to just three data center projects — Microsoft in Mount Pleasant, Oracle in Port Washington and Meta in Beaver Dam — served by We Energies and Alliant Energy.
To keep pace, utilities are planning roughly 14.2 gigawatts of new generation capacity, weighted heavily toward natural gas (5.4 GW) and solar (5.2 GW), with wind and battery storage making up the rest, per the report. We Energies has said it plans to invest more than $12.5 billion in solar, wind and battery storage, backed by natural gas generation, while Alliant has described its approach as “all-of-the-above.”
Consumer advocates cited in the WPR report warn that ratepayers — including commercial and industrial customers — could absorb costs tied to this build-out, and that Wisconsin currently lacks a unified statewide plan for managing demand at this scale.
A PCS spokesperson told WPR that changes may be made before the final report is released this fall.
