MGE commits to achieving carbon reductions of at least 80% by 2030

By increasing our 2030 carbon reduction goal to at least 80% by 2030, MGE is again demonstrating our ongoing and consistent leadership in the fight against climate change.

In 2015, MGE was one of the first utilities in the country to set a 2030 carbon reduction goal. Our goal to reduce carbon emissions 40% by 2030 was, at the time, one of the most aggressive in the nation and consistent with the Paris Agreement on climate change.  

In 2019, MGE aligned its decarbonization goals with the latest climate science from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and its October 2018 Special Report. We announced our goal of net-zero carbon electricity by 2050 and increased our 2030 goal to be at least a 65% reduction in carbon.

In her 2020 report, Dr. Tracey Holloway of University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies concluded our goal was consistent with and more aggressive than the IPCC analysis. MGE has stated, since introducing our carbon reduction goals, if we can go further faster by working with our customers, we will. Our updated goal, of at least 80% reduction by 2030, demonstrates the effectiveness of our partnerships with our customers to achieve shared goals. Working with our customers, we are moving further and faster.  

We’re working quickly to drive carbon from our energy supply mix cost-effectively and consistent with climate science. A couple of primary factors will help MGE achieve our decarbonization goals and reach net-zero carbon by 2050—our ongoing transition away from coal and continuing growth in our use of renewable energy. 

Our Ongoing Transition from Coal

In 2011, MGE eliminated coal at Blount Generating Station, the only coal-fired facility solely owned by MGE. In 2016, MGE reduced its minority ownership share in the coal-fired Columbia Energy Center, which has been a significant source of capacity and energy to serve MGE customers. 

In early 2021, MGE and the Columbia plant’s co-owners announced plans to retire the plant about 15 years ahead of schedule. In late 2021, MGE, as a minority owner, and the other co-owners of the Elm Road Generating Station announced the planned transition of the coal-fired plant to natural gas. By the end of 2030, MGE expects coal to be used only as a backup fuel, and we expect the elimination of coal as a fuel source at Elm Road by the end of 2032, at which point MGE will no longer own any coal-fired generation. 

In June 2022, the co-owners of Columbia announced plans to shift the full retirement of Columbia by 18 months to June 2026. The updated timeline addresses the need for capacity as the energy industry, like many industries, experiences supply chain challenges in bringing replacement generation resources online. The updated timeline has no impact on MGE’s carbon reduction goals or aggressive transition to a greater use of cleaner energy. MGE is committed to our transition away from coal while maintaining safe, reliable, affordable and sustainable energy to serve our customers.

To ensure MGE is able to meet the needs of our customers, MGE is replacing the 200 megawatts (MW) of capacity provided by the Columbia plant with investments in cleaner energy. MGE continues to evaluate potential wind and solar sites as part of this ongoing transition. 

The company also has invested in 25 MW in the new, highly efficient West Riverside Energy Center, an existing, state-of-the-art natural gas plant in Beloit, Wis., with an option to purchase an additional 25 MW. The West Riverside facility offers MGE customers a safe, affordable, reliable and environmentally efficient energy source that will help enable MGE's path toward net-zero carbon electricity. This investment enables MGE to retire Columbia ahead of schedule and to increase the amount of clean energy in our generating mix. We expect carbon emissions from a 50-MW share of West Riverside will be less than 10% of the carbon emissions generated at Columbia.  

While we are investing in multiple renewable generation projects and battery storage to replace a majority of the lost capacity with the retirement of the Columbia plant, adding highly efficient natural gas is necessary for reliability and dispatchability on the system. 

Natural gas is considered a bridge fuel on our path toward a net-zero carbon future. The energy industry continues to evolve rapidly. New technologies continue to emerge and to develop, such as carbon capture, utilization and sequestration, which, if proven cost-effective, hold the potential to make natural gas carbon-neutral in the future.

Natural gas plants are an especially efficient backup to renewable energy because they can be dispatched quickly and at times when it's more challenging for wind or solar generation, making it a reliable and cost-effective option. MGE is committed to our carbon reduction and net-zero carbon goals. We would expect to take advantage of new technologies and other options in the future, such as the early retirement or the sale of fossil fuel assets, that allow us to meet our goal of net-zero carbon electricity by 2050.    

Our Growing Use of Renewable Energy

Renewable energy will play a significant role in helping MGE achieve our goals. MGE continues to decarbonize its energy supply with the addition of wind, solar and planned battery storage. Some of these renewable projects are already generating cost-effective, carbon-free energy for our customers. In 2021, MGE announced plans to purchase a share of the following:

• Koshkonong Solar Energy Center. MGE has obtained regulatory approval to purchase 30 MW of solar energy.
• Paris Solar-Battery Park. MGE has obtained regulatory approval to purchase 20 MW of solar energy and 11 MW of battery storage .
• Darien Solar Energy Center. MGE has obtained regulatory approval to purchase 25 MW of solar energy.
• Red Barn Wind Farm. In 2023, the Red Barn Wind Farm in Grant County, Wis., began serving MGE customers with carbon-free electricity. MGE owns a 10% share of the 92-MW facility.

In February 2024, MGE filed for regulatory approval to purchase 30 MW of solar energy from the High Noon Solar Energy Center to be built in Columbia County. Construction is expected to begin in late 2024.

MGE is constantly evaluating potential wind and solar sites to deliver cost-effective clean energy to our customers. We expect to invest in additional renewable generation beyond what is currently planned.