A Look Back at 2021

A letter to our customers from MGE Chairman, President and CEO Jeff Keebler.

As the calendar turns to December and to a new year, it's often a time of reflection. The past two years have been challenging but have shown that we're a resilient community when we work together. As friends, neighbors and community members, we're working together to meet the challenges of our times and to create a better future for this place we call home.

MGE's roots in the Madison area date back more than 150 years. As a critical services provider, we carry a special responsibility to serve our customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I'm grateful for our crews and operations employees who continue to meet our community’s everyday needs, safely and reliably.

We're also working hard to serve you more sustainably.

As we look to the future, MGE has announced investments in solar and battery storage projects that will help us continue to provide reliable, affordable and sustainable energy in the coming years. The proposed projects will help to power more than 26,000 households.

• MGE is seeking approval to purchase 9.1 megawatts (MW) of the 92-MW Red Barn Wind Farm to be built in the towns of Wingville and Clifton in Grant County.
• MGE is seeking approval to own 20 MW of solar and 11 MW of battery storage from the 200-MW Paris Solar-Battery Park to be built in Kenosha County.
• If approved, MGE will own 25 MW of solar and 7.5 MW of battery storage from the 250-MW Darien Solar Energy Center in southeastern Wisconsin.
• MGE also is seeking approval to own 30 MW of solar and 16.5 MW of battery storage from the 300-MW Koshkonong Solar Energy Center to be built in Dane County.

These projects are another step toward carbon reductions of at least 65% by 2030 and our goal of net-zero carbon by 2050. They also will help meet future energy and capacity needs cost-effectively as we continue our ongoing transition away from coal.

By 2025, with the planned retirement of the coal-fired Columbia power plant, MGE will have eliminated approximately two-thirds of our coal-fired generation capacity. By 2030, our remaining use of coal is expected to be reduced substantially, and by 2035, MGE is expected to eliminate coal as an energy source when the Elm Road power plant will transition to natural gas as its primary fuel source. MGE is a minority owner of both of these plants.

And, MGE is advancing sustainable transportation with a new electric vehicle fast-charging hub in Madison.

Our energy future looks bright. Thank you for your continued support and partnership as we work together
to build your community energy company for the future.

Sincerely,
Jeff Keebler, MGE Chairman, President and CEO

published: Dec-01-2021