Public Service Commission approves Maple Grove Solar certificate with conditions

The Public Service Commission voted Thursday to grant Maple Grove Solar a certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN) for a solar electric generation facility, an accompanying 50 megawatt DC battery energy storage system and a generator tie line in Barron County, conditional on several standard and project‑specific requirements.

Commissioner Nieto, who led the discussion, said the project would have a nameplate generation capacity “of up to 259.6 megawatts AC” and that it would “connect up to 228 megawatts AC to the electrical grid.” She described a 50 megawatt DC battery system and said the project would require a “1.7 mile 161 kV gen tie line” to connect to the Barron substation. Commissioner Nieto said, “I found that the project meets all of the statutory requirements and will be voting to approve the project today.”

Why it matters: Commissioners and intervenors said the project represents a sizable addition to Wisconsin’s renewable generation and could deliver local economic benefits. Commissioner Nieto noted interveners Renew and Clean Wisconsin supported the project and said it would represent about a 6% increase in the state’s overall solar generation capacity. She also cited witness estimates that the project would reduce CO2 emissions over its life and quoted projected first‑year health‑care cost savings of roughly $1,130,000 to $2,200,000.

What the commission approved and the conditions: The commission approved the CPCN (docket 5 CE 154) by motion and recorded vote. Commissioners discussed and added a mix of project‑specific and standard order conditions. Key conditions discussed or adopted during the meeting include: - A visual‑screening order point requiring the applicant to “work with interested non‑participating landowners that are adjacent to solar panel arrays on one or more sides of their property to create visual buffers and screening in order to mitigate visual impacts to the extent reasonable and economically feasible and not otherwise impeding solar operations or access to sunlight.” - A requirement that the applicant follow through on commitments made in its application record (for example, continued negotiation of a joint development agreement and so‑called good neighbor agreements), capturing those commitments as enforceable conditions rather than voluntary post‑approval actions. - A revision to the tree‑clearing avoidance period to specify March 15 through August 15 (instead of April 1 through August 15), with language allowing limited flexibility “to the extent reasonably possible.” Commissioners said that change reflected the record and rebuttal testimony. - Clarifications to fencing specifications (the applicant agreed to 6 inches of clearance off the ground rather than alternate fencing dimensions) and further vegetation‑management discussions between the applicant, Department of Natural Resources staff and PSC staff. - Wetland and waterway best‑management practices to be applied “where possible,” per the applicant’s proposed modification.

Areas of disagreement and unresolved detail: Commissioners debated whether to require a site‑specific winter stabilization plan in addition to the stormwater pollution prevention plan. Chair Strand said he did not find adequate record justification to impose the plan as a project‑specific condition and preferred not to add duplicative requirements absent clearer benefit; other commissioners indicated the applicant and DNR had agreed in principle and supported filing the plan. Commissioners agreed this topic and some overlap between standard and project‑specific conditions merits further clarification in future dockets.

Public engagement and record: Commissioner Nieto said the commission received 32 public comments during the environmental‑assessment scoping period and heard roughly 15 speakers at two local public hearings. She thanked members of the public for participating. Commissioner Fraser Hawkins said public questions about utility aid payments suggested the commission could improve how it communicates the flow of those payments from the Department of Revenue to local communities; Hawkins said he would follow up with staff on messaging.

Votes at a glance (other actions on the agenda): Earlier in the meeting the commission voted unanimously on routine items and two separate dockets: approving minutes of the Jan. 7, 2025 open meeting; approving notices of investigation for agenda items 2–14 and notices of proceeding for items 15–17; granting Walnut Way intervener compensation in the amount of $23,020 (motion recorded in the docket text as stated during the meeting); and granting Current Electricals a temporary 24‑month waiver of the individual‑metering requirement in the WIS Admin Code subject to conditions listed in the order. Those motions were moved, seconded and adopted by the commission during the session.

The commission adjourned the meeting after the CPCN vote; its next open meeting was scheduled for Jan. 23, 2025, at 10:30 a.m.