Public Service Commission approves Porchlight Solar CPCN with conditions

The Public Service Commission voted Dec. 4 to grant a certificate of public convenience and necessity to the Porchlight Solar Project, a merchant‑developer proposal to build a roughly 163.8 MW AC solar photovoltaic facility with a 50 MW battery energy storage system in the towns of Buena Vista and Pine Grove in Portage County. Commissioner Nieto moved to approve the CPCN with the conditions discussed at the meeting; the motion carried on a voice vote.

Commissioner Nieto, who led the discussion of the project, said the developer, Porchlight Solar Project, LLC (a Savion subsidiary), proposed a project that would occupy about 1,100 acres and would include an approximate 2.5‑mile, 138 kV overhead generator tie line to an existing ATC transmission line. "I found this project meets all of the Wisconsin statutory requirements," Nieto said, and he told colleagues he would "ultimately vote to approve the project with conditions" discussed in the decision matrix.

Why it matters: the commission emphasized the balance of local impacts and statewide benefits. Commissioners noted the environmental assessment did not identify significant, long‑term environmental effects when…