(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s data center building boom is driving the need for more electricity in the state.
The state’s Public Service Commission recently released its latest report on power needs. The draft of the Strategic Energy Assessment predicts that Wisconsin will need 40% more peak demand power.
"Based on the data electric providers submitted to the Commission in November 2025, Wisconsin peak load is expected to grow from approximately 14.2 gigawatt in 2026 to
over 20 GW by 2032, an increase of nearly 5.8 GW, or over 40%, in a six-year period," the report reads.
The PSC says demand will spike because more data centers are coming online.
"These load forecasts illustrate the outsized impact data center development is anticipated to have on the energy landscape in Wisconsin in the coming years," the report added. "Approximately 4.17 GW1234, or over 72%, of this peak load increase is associated with three active data center developments."
Those data center projects are the ones in Beaver Dam, Port Washington and Mount Pleasant. The data center in Mount Pleasant, owned by Microsoft, recently came online.
As recently as 2024, the same report projected just a 14.8% increase in peak demand.
That new demand will require new electricity sources, and the PSC report notes utilities in Wisconsin are planning to meet that demand with more natural gas-fired power plants.
"Wisconsin electric providers reported plans to retire approximately 1,100 megawatts of in-state generation between 2025 and 2032," the report states. "Plans to add approximately 14,200 MW of new nameplate capacity were reported by Wisconsin electric providers, including 5,175 MW of new solar energy capacity, 5,400 MW of new natural gas capacity or upgrades to existing natural gas facilities, nearly 1,370 MW of new wind capacity."
The report doesn't speak about how the new demand, or the new power generation projects will impact power bills across the state. Though the PSC does acknowledge that people in Wisconsin are paying more for power than people in many other states.
"National data shows that Wisconsin had an average 2024 residential energy charge of approximately 17 cents per kilowatt-hour. Average charges in the Midwest were approximately 15 cents per kWh and National averages were approximately 16 cents per kWh," the report added.
Originally published on thecentersquare.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.
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