Tom Hanrahan, general counsel for Wisconsin Public Power (WPPI), briefed the Common Council on Oct. 21 about WPPI’s power supply portfolio and near‑term planning. Hanrahan said the joint action agency serves 51 municipal utilities and that the group’s portfolio mixes owned fossil and peaking plants, nuclear purchases, wind and solar power purchase agreements, and transmission ownership through American Transmission Company.

Key points:

- Portfolio mix and costs: Hanrahan described WPPI’s diversity in fuel types and geography, noting this has helped stabilize wholesale power costs in recent years. He said WPPI’s members see relatively stable per‑megawatt‑hour costs over the last decade except for a 2022 spike tied to unit outages and high natural gas markets.
- Planned capacity needs: WPPI estimates approximately 400 MW of added capacity will be needed by about 2032 to 2033 and is actively pursuing proposals for a mix of renewables and dispatchable resources. “We have about a 400 megawatt need over that time period,” Hanrahan said.
- Data‑center demand: Hanrahan emphasized data centers are the biggest uncertainty. Large facilities can add hundreds to thousands of megawatts of demand; WPPI is working to ensure any incremental load is served without imposing undue risk on other customers, and he said financial assurances will be required from data‑center customers in many cases.
- Outlook for 2026: Hanrahan told council WPPI expects upward rate pressure for 2026 and estimated a mid‑single‑digit percentage increase in wholesale power costs driven by market pressures and resource needs; WPPI’s billing structure passes actual costs to member utilities.

Member services: Hanrahan highlighted WPPI programs including rate‑case assistance, a GIS/outage management program (with Oconomowoc as an early adopter), and legislative advocacy. He also commended Oconomowoc Utilities for local achievements and staff participation in WPPI advisory groups.

Quotations: “Our portfolio is very diverse,” Hanrahan said, summarizing WPPI’s mix of fuel types and ownership positions. He also noted the agency’s focus on transmission ownership as a way to moderate long‑term costs.

Ending: Council members asked questions about data‑center risk and renewable percentages; Hanrahan said WPPI’s carbon intensity is substantially below 2005 levels and put the agency’s renewables plus nuclear share in the “thirties” percent range once renewable attributes are accounted for and sales of renewable credits are considered.