The Wisconsin Public Service Commission unanimously approved We Energies’ purchase of a 200-megawatt solar and battery project that may serve the data center campus in Port Washington.
The Dawn Harvest Solar and Battery Energy Storage Facility in Rock County will provide 150 megawatts of renewable energy – enough to power around 45,000 Wisconsin homes – and 50 megawatts of storage capability. Chicago developer Invenergy will build the 1,800-acre project for a total cost of around $443 million.
We Energies will own the battery storage facility and 80% of solar generation. The remaining power will be split between the Wisconsin Public Service Corporation, another WEC subsidiary, and Madison Gas & Electric.
The project will begin construction in April and is expected to go online in 2028.
We Energies plans to allocate 70% of its solar generation share and 80% of battery storage to Vantage’s $8 billion data center campus in Port Washington, according to public filings. That is pending Public Service Commission approval of the utility’s “very large” customer rate proposal, which would assign hyperscale data center companies a separate energy rate.
The facility is also part of WEC Energy Group’s plan for its energy generation fleet to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, the company said in public filings. It hopes to retire older coal plants in favor of $20 billion in natural gas, renewable energy and battery storage investments.
“Today’s decision is another key step in executing our ‘all the above’ energy strategy that supports continued reliability with investments in a balanced mix of energy sources, new technology and stronger equipment to harden the grid,” We Energies President Mike Hooper said in a statement March 12. “The Dawn Harvest project will serve customers year-round and is expected to reduce fuel costs and take advantage of available federal tax credits, helping keep energy costs down for our customers.”
Plans for the Dawn Harvest Solar and Battery Energy Storage Facility were filed in September 2024 along with four other wind and solar projects, for a combined total of nearly 700 megawatts. Regulators approved the four projects in November 2025.
In October 2025, We Energies filed its latest round of energy projects that would primarily serve data centers. That includes seven solar projects totaling $2.8 billion and two natural gas plants for $2.3 billion. The Public Service Commission is expected to rule on those proposals sometime in the next 12 months.
Francesca Pica can be reached at fpica@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Regulators approve We Energies purchase of 150-megawatt solar project for data center
Reporting by Francesca Pica, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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