October 10, 2018
Wisconsin

WPS retiring Lincoln Wind Energy Facility in Kewaunee County

By Justin Razavi | WFRV | Posted: Oct 09, 2018 | www.wearegreenbay.com

If you live in Kewaunee County near the town of Lincoln, you may have noticed workers taking down wind turbines recently. That’s because the turbine’s owners, Wisconsin Public Service, have decided to retire them.

The turbines and accompanying towers comprise the Lincoln Wind Energy Facility, which has been in place since 1999.

“When it was operational, those 14 towers and turbines were capable of generating 9 megawatts of electricity,” says Matt Cullen of WPS.

The utility company has already removed four of them – two on Tuesday and two last week – and ten of them remain. WPS will still continue to operate wind farms elsewhere in Wisconsin and in Iowa, but they say the Kewaunee County facility is no longer necessary.

“These turbines have reached the end of their useful life and they’re no longer cost effective to maintain and operate.” Cullen says. “The turbines generate approximately 70% less electricity as compared with those newer models today.”

The remaining turbines are expected to be removed before the end of the year.

The retirement of the facility will not affect customer bills, as WPS currently has a rate freeze in effect.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2018/10/10/wps-retiring-lincoln-wind-energy-facility-in-kewaunee-county/