Wisconsin and coal

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Contents

Introduction

Wisconsin had 70 coal-fired generating stations in 2005, with 7,123 MW of capacity - representing 42.5% of the state's total electric generation capacity.

In 2006, Wisconsin's coal-fired power plants produced 43.7 million tons of CO₂, 185,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, and 65,000 tons of nitrogen oxide; coal-fired power plants were responsible for 41.7% of the state's total CO₂ emissions. In 2005, Wisconsin emitted 18.9 tons of CO₂ per person; the state had the 29th highest per capita level of CO₂ emissions.

No coal was mined in Wisconsin in 2006. Thus, the state relies on coal imports from Wyoming, Appalachia, and southern Illinois; the state imported 27 million tons of coal in 2005.

Citizen activism

Governor Doyle retires two coal plants

In August, 2008, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle announced that two aging coal plants, the Charter Street Plant and the Capitol Heat and Power Plant, both located in Dane County, will be shut down and replaced with cleaner systems. The decision followed legal action and grassroots protests and lobbying by members of the Sierra Club, students at the University of Wisconsin, and other activists. August 2008

Proposed coal plants

Active

• Nelson Dewey Generating Facility, Cassville, WI
• Oak Creek Units 1 & 2, Oak Creek, WI
• Weston Unit 4, Wausau, WI

Cancelled

• E.J. Stoneman Expansion, Cassville, WI

Coal power companies

• Alliant Energy
  • Headquarters in Madison, WI
  • Owner of Wisconsin Power & Light
  • 21st biggest coal energy producer in U.S.
  • Controls 30 coal-fired generating stations with 4055 MW total capacity
  • Active proposals: Nelson Dewey Generating Facility, Sutherland Generating Station Unit 4
• We Energies
  • Headquarters in Milwaukee, WI
  • Owner of Wisconsin Electric Power
  • 28th biggest coal energy producer in U.S.
  • Controls 19 coal-fired generating stations with 3339 MW total capacity
  • Active proposals: Oak Creek Units 1 & 2
• Dairyland Power Cooperative
  • Headquarters in La Crosse, WI
  • Controls 7 coal-fired generating stations with 914 MW total capacity
• Wisconsin Public Service Corp., owned by Integrys
• Ft. James Operating Co., owned by Koch Industries
• Madison Gas & Electric Co.

Existing coal plants

Wisconsin had 70 coal-fired power plants in 2005, with 7,123 MW of capacity. Here is a list of coal power plants in Wisconsin with capacity over 400 MW:

Plant Name	County	Owner	Year(s) Built	Capacity	2006 SO2 Emissions	SO2/MW Rank
Pleasant Prairie	Kenosha	We Energies	1980, 1985	1233 MW	28,566 tons	120
South Oak Creek	Milwaukee	We Energies	1959-67	1192 MW	13,594 tons	198
Columbia	Columbia	Alliant Energy	1975, 1978	1023 MW	22,396 tons	145
Edgewater	Sheboygan	Alliant Energy	1951, 1969, 1985	770 MW	15,759 tons	128
Weston	Marathon	Integrys	1954-60, 1981	492 MW	12,596 tons	127
Pulliam	Brown	Integrys	1943-64	410 MW	10,869 tons	100

These six plants represent 71.9% of Wisconsin's coal energy generating capacity.

Major coal mines

There are currently no coal mines in Wisconsin.

Citizen groups

• Clean Wisconsin
• Sierra Club John Muir Chapter
• Wisconsin Citizens Utility Board

Resources

References

Related SourceWatch articles

• William D. Harvey
• Existing U.S. Coal Plants
• US proposed coal plants (both active and cancelled)
• Coal plants cancelled in 2007
• Coal plants cancelled in 2008
• Profiles of other states (or click on the map)

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External links

• Todd Richmond, Wisconsin regulators say no to new power plant, Associated Press, November 11, 2008. "State regulators Tuesday unanimously rejected a plan to build a new coal-fired power plant in southwestern Wisconsin, calling it too expensive. Alliant Energy subsidiary Wisconsin Power & Light wanted to build the plant in Cassville, a town of about 1,100 people on the Mississippi River in Grant County."