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Towns of Columbus and Lewiston, Columbia
County, Wisconsin
Docket ID: 5-CE-159
Joint Application of Wisconsin Electric Power Company, Wisconsin Public Service Corporation, and Madison Gas and Electric Company for a Certificate of Authority to Purchase Good Oak Solar Generation Facility in the Town of Lewiston and Gristmill Solar Generation Facility in the Towns of Columbus and Fountain Prairie, Columbia County, Wisconsin.
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Application Summary
Overview
Wisconsin Electric Power Company (“Wisconsin Electric"), Wisconsin Public Service Corporation (“WPSC"), and Madison Gas and Electric Company ("MGE") (collectively, the “Joint Applicants"), is seeking approval to purchase and construct the following solar energy facilities: Good Oak Solar Farm (“Good Oak") and Gristmill Solar Farm (“Gristmill"), (Collectively “the Solar Projects"). The Good Oak and Gristmill projects are being developed by OneEnergy Renewables (“OneEnergy"). Joint Applicants propose to acquire and construct the two solar generating facilities as further detailed below:
Good Oak
Good Oak is proposed to be located within the Town of Lewiston in Columbia County and would have a generating capacity of 98.4 MWac (megawatt alternating current). The project study area that was evaluated is approximately 800 acres, of which, the proposed arrays make up 523 acres and the alternative project arrays make up 55 acres. The major components of Good Oak include PV panels, inverters, approximately nine miles of underground 34.5 kilovolt (kV) collector circuits, a project substation, access roads, and an operation and maintenance building. The proposed project includes 15 fenced array areas, with 12 proposed array area sites and 3 alternative array area sites.
Gristmill
Gristmill is located in the Town of Columbus in Columbia County and would have a generating capacity of 69 MW. The project study area that was evaluated is approximately 400 acres, of which, the proposed arrays make up 335 acres. The major components of Gristmill include PV panels, inverters, approximately three miles of underground 34.5 kilovolt (kV) collector circuits, a project substation, and 138 kV gen-tie transmission line to connect to the project substation, access roads, and an operation and maintenance building. The proposed project includes four fenced array areas. Array areas can be identified by their fence boundary identification number, as seen in the associated map.
Applicant Stated Need
The Joint Applicants indicate the need of the proposed project is to meet future energy demands and obligations in the 2028 timeframe.
Estimated Cost
The Joint Applicants have estimated the cost to acquire and construct the Solar Projects at a total cost of approximately $360.6 million consisting of $215.7 million ($2,192 / kW) for Good Oak and $144.9 million ($2,162 / kW) for Gristmill.
Project Location
The Joint Applicants propose Good Oak to be located on 800 acres of land in the Town Lewiston of in Columbia County. Gristmill is proposed to be located on approximately 400 acres of land in the Town of Columbus in Columbia County.
Proposed Schedule
- The applicant submitted the application to the Commission in October 2024.
- If approved, the applicant anticipates construction for this project to begin in September 2025 with an estimated completion date of December 2027.
Statutory Review
The solar electric generation facility is a
Type III action under
Wis. Admin. Code § PSC 4.10(3). Type III actions normally do not require preparation of an Environmental Assessment (EA) or an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) under Wis. Admin. Code § PSC 4.10(3). However, an evaluation of a specific Type III proposal may indicate that the preparation of an EA is warranted for that proposal. The Commission will prepare an EA for this project that will evaluate the location of the project and its potential environmental, community, and private property impacts. There will be a preliminary determination when the EA is complete that will determine whether the preparation of an EIS is necessary. Comments on this preliminary determination will be accepted and considered before a final determination is made. At the time of the preliminary determination, the Commission shall make copies ofthe EA available to those persons that request it.
Key Application Documents
Access Docket 5-CE-159 in the PSC Case Management System to view additional information.
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Access Docket 5-CE-159
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