Xcel Energy sent employee and contracting crews to areas hit hard by Hurricane Laura to help restore power to the 670,000 customers without electricity following the devastating storm. About 250 Xcel Energy employees and contractors from Wisconsin, Colorado, Minnesota, New Mexico and Texas were sent to Louisiana. The company sent line workers along with support and safety staff after receiving the call for mutual assistance. Crews were initially assigned to Entergy Louisiana and Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCo), an AEP company. 

“We wanted to assist the people affected by Hurricane Laura and are honored to be part of this restoration effort,” said Larry Crosby, senior vice president, distribution operations-Xcel Energy. “This is a massive undertaking with extensive
damage, but our crews are ready to bring power back on safely. It’s what we would do for our own customers and we wanted to deliver that same quality of service to the people of Louisiana.”

WPS FOUNDATION AWARDS $50,000 TO EVERYDAY HEROES THROUGH REWARDING RESPONDERS GRANT
The Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) Foundation is supporting first responders who keep their communities safe every day. The foundation is providing a total of $50,000 through its Rewarding Responders Grant to 27 emergency response agencies throughout its service area. Some of the agencies receiving grants this year include:

• De Pere Fire Rescue Department — new water rescue suits.
• Menominee Police Department — a vehicle transport system for the department’s first K-9 officer.
• Merrill Fire Department — Versatile protective clothing for firefighters during rescue operations.
• Tomahawk Fire Department — new automated external defibrillators (AEDs)
• Town of Wilson/Black River Fire Department — a multi-gas detection meter to alert firefighters to the presence of hazardous gases.

ALLIANT ENERGY ONCE AGAIN A TOP UTILITY IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Alliant Energy has been named a Top Utility in Economic Development by Site Selection magazine. The annual list recognized the company for its contribution to community development, job creation and partnerships with institutions of higher learning in the territories the company serves. For the second year in a row, Alliant Energy is the only Iowa energy company to make the list.

XCEL ENERGY ELECTS NEW BOARD MEMBER
Patricia L. Kampling brings four decades of experience in the energy industry, having recently retired from her role as Chairman and CEO of Alliant Energy Corporation in Madison, Wisconsin. Prior to that, she held leadership roles at Exelon Corporation and the former IPSCO Corporation.

Pat joined Alliant Energy in 2005 as Vice President of Finance and was named Chief Financial Officer in 2009. In 2011, she was named President and Chief Operating Officer and, in 2012, she assumed the role of Chairman and CEO, a position she held until her retirement in July 2019.

Under her leadership, the company achieved financial and operational objectives while also obtaining creative and constructive regulatory outcomes. Pat also guided the company on its journey toward a cleaner, smarter energy future, while ensuring the 1.5 million customers Alliant serves had access to a more resilient energy grid and a diverse,  sustainable energy mix.

“Pat not only brings a wealth of experience to Xcel Energy, she also shares our vision of leading the clean energy transition, while keeping service reliable and customer bills low,” said Ben Fowke, chairman and CEO of Xcel Energy. “Additionally, Pat joins us in our commitment to workforce development and to diversity and inclusion. It’s a great match and we look forward to welcoming her to our Board of Directors.”

XCEL ENERGY BOARD DECLARES DIVIDEND ON COMMON STOCK
The Board of Directors of Xcel Energy has declared a quarterly dividend on its common stock of 43 cents per share. The dividends are payable October 20, 2020, to shareholders of record on September 15, 2020.

Construction of one of Wisconsin’s first large-scale solar farms could be delayed because of pending tariffs on imported solar panels. Madison Gas and Electric and We Energies had notified state regulators of plans to push back the startup date for the 150-megawatt project, known as Badger Hollow II, until December 2022 in order to stay within the approved $195 million budget.

The utilities said the delay was needed to allow the developer, Invenergy, to manage acquisition of hundreds of thousands of solar panels, which could soon be subject to a 20% import tariff if the Trump administration is successful in withdrawing an exemption for “bifacial” panels. Such panels use glass backing to capture additional sunlight reflected off the ground.

A plan to build a plant in southern Wisconsin that would store liquefied natural gas is moving forward, according to documents filed with the Town of Ixonia Plan Commission. We Energies and Wisconsin Gas are seeking approval to build the plant on 164 acres in the town near Hill and North roads. The planned permanent facilities on the Ixonia property would cover 27 acres, according to We Energies. 

The two utilities, which have 1.1 million customers, have proposed building liquefied natural gas storage plants in Jefferson County and in Bluff Creek in Walworth County. The two plants are projected to cost a total of $370 million and would store natural gas at temperatures of 260 degrees below zero.

We Energies and its parent company, WEC Energy Group have announced they will make a $100,000 donation to help local businesses that sustained damage during recent protests. The grant money will be provided by the We Energies  Foundation to the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC) Community Foundation’s Rebuild and Revitalize fund.

The Rebuild and Revitalize program provides grants to affected business owners to fund repairs, replace inventory and meet other needs. These include businesses in the Martin Luther King Drive, Harambee, Sherman Park and Near South Side neighborhoods.

The Xcel Energy Foundation has awarded nearly $320,000 to sixty-three nonprofits in Wisconsin and Michigan to help provide funding for critical programs in their communities. This represents in increase in giving by the Xcel Energy Foundation to support existing nonprofit partners that are facing difficulties during the pandemic. Earlier this year, in response to Covid-19, the Foundation also provided funds to organizations that address food insecurity “At Xcel Energy we’re doing our part to support our customers and communities during this very challenging time,” said Mark Stoering, President, Xcel Energy-Wisconsin and Michigan. “Our mission is to provide our customers safe, clean, reliable energy services, but we also know that the quality of life in our communities is equally important to their continued success.”

Alliant Energy Transportation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Alliant Energy Corporation, has announced the company is changing its name to Travero. The new name connects the company’s resources into one brand and furthers its commitment of delivering solutions that allow customers to move freight creatively and competitively. The company offers innovative and comprehensive logistics services, including rail transportation, freight management services, warehousing and trans loading.

The Board of Directors of WEC Energy Group has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 63.25 cents per share on the company’s common stock.
The dividend is payable September 1, 2020, to stockholders of record on August 14, 2020. This marks the 312th consecutive quarter, dating back to 1942, that the company will have paid a dividend to its stockholders.

Madison Gas and Electric has filed an application with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) for approval of a 20-megawatt solar array to be built in Fitchburg, Wisconsin. Known as the O’Brien Solar Fields, the project will provide locally generated solar energy to local businesses, municipalities and public institutions under MGE’s innovative Renewable Energy Rider.

“This is an exciting project for our participating customers and for MGE. Twenty megawatts of locally generated, cost effective carbon-free energy on our electric grid will help us achieve our goal of net-zero carbon electricity by 2050
and the sustainability goals of these customers,” according to MGE Chairman, President and CEO Jeff Keebler. “We
are thankful for their support and their participation and look forward to bringing what will be one of the largest solar
arrays in the state to Dane County.”

Alliant Energy has announced plans to acquire and advance 675 megawatts (MW) of solar in mostly rural areas in six Wisconsin counties: Grant, Jefferson, Richland, Rock, Sheboygan and Wood. The projects are the next step in the company’s Clean Energy Blueprint, a strategic road map to cost-effectively accelerate renewable energy while reducing carbon emissions. 

Once operational, the energy from the projects will be enough to power 175,000 homes per year – making Alliant Energy the largest owner-operator of solar in Wisconsin. Collectively, these projects are expected to create more than 1,200 local construction jobs, and, once operational, will provide an estimated $80 million in local tax revenues over the next 30 years.
“Solar energy is a smart investment for our Wisconsin customers,” said David de Leon, President of Alliant Energy’s Wisconsin energy company. “At a time when much is changing, these projects will provide steady revenue to Wisconsin communities, create new construction, operation and maintenance jobs, and provide our customers with reliable and sustainable energy for years to come. Along with the rest of the Clean Energy Blueprint, these projects will help customers avoid more than $2 billion in long-term costs.”

WEC Energy Group has reported net income of $452.5 million, or $1.43 per share, for the first quarter of 2020 – up from $420.1 million, or $1.33 per share, for the first quarter of 2019. Consolidated revenues totaled $2.1 billion, down $268.8 million from last year’s first quarter.

“We delivered another solid quarter, despite mild winter temperatures and an economic downturn that began in late March as businesses closed to slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Gale Klappa, Executive Chairman. “In the months ahead, we will continue to focus on employee safety and on executing the fundamentals of our business – world-class reliability, customer satisfaction and financial discipline.” He added, “Our team is experienced and resilient. I’m confident we’ll shine through the challenges ahead.”

The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) has announced that Alliant Energy’s West Riverside Energy Center project recently earned the Envision Platinum rating for sustainable infrastructure – the highest Envision recognition level.

This is Alliant Energy’s sixth power generation facility to receive Envision recognition, which demonstrates the company’s commitment to sustainable infrastructure planning and design. 

Madison Gas and Electric has received approval from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin for an agreement to partner with Dane County on a 9-megawatt (MW) solar array near the Dane County Regional Airport. The solar array will generate enough carbon-free electricity to provide Dane County with about 40% of the energy used by all County-owned facilities, according to the County.

“Clean energy is important to MGE, to Dane County, and to many who live and work here. We support the County’s clean energy goals and are excited to partner on this project to add more locally generated renewable energy,” according to MGE Chairman, President and CEO Jeff Keebler. “Partnerships like this will help MGE achieve net-zero carbon electricity for all of our customers by 2050.”

Alliant Energy says the COVID-19 pandemic will likely cause a 5 percent decline in sales, but should not affect shareholder profits this year. Alliant has announced first-quarter profits of 70 cents per share, up from 53 cents in the same period last year.

The gains were attributed to growing ratepayer-backed investments by its Wisconsin and Iowa utilities, offset by lower sales attributed to mild weather. Alliant said quarterly earnings were not significantly affected by COVID-19.