As energy-hungry data centers loom, Wisconsin ratepayers owe $1 billion on shuttered power plants

As energy-hungry data centers loom, Wisconsin ratepayers owe $1 billion on shuttered power plants

Reading Time: 11 minutes Click here to read highlights from the story Wisconsin utility ratepayers owe nearly $1 billion on coal power plants that have been or soon will be shut down. That includes debt taken on to build and upgrade the plants, plus a guaranteed rate of return of nearly 10% for the utility companies that own the plants. Other states have found ways to limit the effect on ratepayers, such as allowing debt to be securitized at a…

Wisconsin ratepayers owe $1 billion on shuttered power plants

Obsolete plants continue to cost ratepayers. Madison Gas and Electric owns a portion of the Columbia Energy Center in Portage, slated to retire in 2029.