MGE, WEC to buy Wisconsin big solar-storage project from Invenergy

March 17 (Renewables Now) - Madison Gas and Electric (MGE) and subsidiaries of WEC Energy Group Inc (NYSE:WEC) have secured regulatory approval to buy a 300-MW solar park with storage in Wisconsin from developer Invenergy LLC.

The approval for the transaction was awarded by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, MGE said on Thursday. It concerns the acquisition of the Koshkonong Solar Energy Center, which will include the photovoltaic (PV) farm and a 165-MW battery storage system.

Under the arrangement, MGE will purchase 30 MW of solar energy and 16.5 MW of storage. The WEC Energy Group subsidiaries We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) will own the remaining 270 MW of solar capacity and 148.5 MW of battery storage.

The Koshkonong Solar Energy Center will be built in the towns of Christiana and Deerfield in Dane County. It is expected to go online in late 2025, generating electricity for about 90,000 homes.

MGE noted that the deal will entitle it to a share of the output that will be enough to supply around 9,000 households. The utility, which expects to add almost 400 MW of wind, solar and battery storage between 2015 and 2024, last year bought a portion of the Paris Solar-Battery Park in Wisconsin.