Council holds decision on We Energies plan to convert Elm Road plant from coal to LNG, build turbines

Oak Creek’s common council on Feb. 17 held action on a conditional‑use amendment for We Energies’ Elm Road generating station after a public hearing in which company representatives described a multi‑hundred‑million‑dollar conversion from coal to natural gas and related LNG storage.

We Energies’ local affairs director Jennifer Bogner and project manager Rick O’Connor told the council the plan includes installing five General Electric combustion turbines producing roughly 1,100 megawatts combined, a large on‑site LNG liquefaction and storage facility, and related gas and electric interconnections. The company said the adjacent coal piles would be removed and coal‑fired operation would be phased out as part of the broader transition.

The company representatives described the combustion turbines as a “flexible” resource to meet seasonal and short‑term demand when renewables and storage are not available. O’Connor said the turbines were expected to operate at a low capacity factor…