Port Washington peregrine falcon chicks get bands, names

The two peregrine falcon chicks that hatched earlier this month at Port Washington Generating Station now have names. The names were suggested by customers.

The female is named Amara, which was suggested by the family of a 10-month-old girl named Amara Burmeister-White. She suffers from a rare form of cancer. Her family says she has the strength and courage of a falcon and wanted one of the birds to share her name, which means "everlasting." Amara met Amara at the banding, which took place this morning (photo above).

The male falcon is named Kilowatt. Given that he was born at a power plant, Kilowatt seems fitting.

Since we began our peregrine falcon recovery program in 1997, more than 150 peregrines have been produced at our power plant nest boxes.

Here's a short video clip of our two feathered friends...

More coverage:

Fox6 news story

Port Washington - Saukville Patch story and photos

TV58 news story

Ozaukee Press

Wind turbine components arrive in Columbia County

The first wind turbine components are arriving in the project area for the 90 turbines being constructed as part of the Glacier Hills Wind Park in Columbia County. Each turbine consists of four tower sections, three blades, a hub and nacelle. The first components to be erected are the bottom two tower sections. Once in place, grouting will be done between the tower and foundation. Next, the top two tower sections will be installed.

Once the tower sections are erected, the nacelle (the enclosure at the top of the tower that contains the generator and transformer), electronic controls and associated equipment will be erected and secured. The nacelle is reached by a ladder that runs inside the tower so technicians can access the turbine components for maintenance and repair. The hub, which is connected to the drive shaft that passes into the nacelle, is then erected, followed by the turbine blades. The blades will be attached to the hub in the air.

When completed, the total height of the turbines, from base to blade tip, will be 410 feet. We expect the first turbines to be operational in August.

Sections for the turbine towers began arriving this week.

Go to related story in Portage Daily Register

Alternative rate request calls for zero increase for 2012

Posted by Bob Zahn

We filed a rate proposal with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) on May 27, which calls for no increase in rates for 2012. If approved, base rates would stay the same for 2012, and we would file a regular rate case next year for new rates in 2013. This alternative approach is being proposed in response to the fragile economic recovery expected to continue through next year.

With this alternative approach, we would absorb costs in 2012 with the expectation that the economy will continue to strengthen into 2013. The projected rise in fuel costs is expected to be offset by returning proceeds obtained from the our successful settlement with the Department of Energy over spent nuclear fuel.

While economic conditions are slowly improving, both residential and business customers continue to feel the impact of the challenging economy of the last few years. A weak housing market, higher costs for groceries and increasing gasoline prices continue to contribute to difficult economic circumstances for customers.

Delaying a rate increase for 2012 may benefit customers, but we still will need to recover investments already approved by the PSCW over the past several years to strengthen reliability, comply with changing environmental requirements and meet the state’s renewable energy mandate.

If the PSCW determines that any part of this approach is not acceptable, we would have to withdraw the plan for no base rate increase in 2012 and then proceed with a traditional, comprehensive base rate request.

Oak Creek owlets reach 6-week mark

Posted by Bob Zahn

Three owlets that hatched at our Oak Creek Power Plant nest box in March are now more than a month old and growing fast. The three males have been weighed, measured and banded. This is the fourth year in a row that owls have nested at the plant.

You can view hourly snapshots of the owls on our webcam.

Here's one from yesterday:

Eggs ready to hatch: we're taking names

We have more than a dozen peregrine falcon eggs about to hatch at five of our power plant nest boxes and need names for them when we band the chicks.

These are the power plants where the nest boxes are located:

• Port Washington Generating Station
• Valley Power Plant (Milwaukee)
• Pleasant Prairie Power Plant
• Oak Creek Power Plant
• Presque Isle Power Plant (Michigan)

To submit a name, just click ‘Post a Comment’ at the end of this post. Indicate the plant location and the suggested name(s). You also can submit names on our Twitter or Facebook pages:

Twitter 

Facebook 

After we review all the names submitted, we will choose a few for each location and ask you to vote on the finalists for each location. You have until May 1 to submit your names. We expect the first chicks to hatch around May 3 to 5 at Port Washington and others later in the month.

You can check out our nest box webcams here: Nest box webcams
(Maybe you can watch the name you choose take wing.)

View Fox6 video

Since we began our program in 1997, our nest boxes have produced 146 peregrines. Get more information about our raptor program

Don’t forget to come back to vote, starting May 9.

Rate increases make news

Rate increases, even small ones, get a lot of attention. Rate decreases or credits not so much (yes, we have had those from time to time).

On April 6, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that we are planning to file a request for rate increases for 2012 and 2013. While we have made no final decision on the filing, our initial estimates suggest that any proposed increase will be less than 4 percent.

The primary reasons include costs for environmental upgrades at our power plants and investments in renewable energy projects to address federal and state mandates. In reviewing our costs, we work to control costs where we can without jeopardizing reliability or public safety.

Because you get reports such as this one in the Journal Sentinel and then hear about it again when we make a filing with the public service commission, when the PSC has hearings and when we receive a final order, it can seem as if there are increases every few months – when it’s really just one.

No one wants any costs to increase – whether for energy, gasoline or even a cup of coffee. We don’t, and our customers always make it clear that they don’t. So, we work to manage our business efficiently. In fact, we are serving 5 percent more customers over the recent years with 1,000 fewer employees as we better manage our costs. Cost savings are in the best interest of our customers as well as our stockholders. We also work with customers to help them manage their energy use, which helps them control their own costs.

As your energy provider, we have a responsibility we take seriously to invest in the infrastructure that generates and delivers energy to you safely, reliably and at a reasonable cost.

Documentary offers insight into nation's electricity issues

According to the documentary "Beyond the Light Switch," the United States must replace most of its power generation within the next 40 years while meeting demand for electricity that is expected to rise 30 percent. That's a very tall order.

“Beyond the Light Switch” takes you into the inner workings of the electrical power infrastructure that exists today and illustrates how it is rapidly evolving to meet future needs. Produced by WTVS Detroit Public Television, the documentary was funded by a number of utilities and foundations, including the Wisconsin Energy Foundation.

“Beyond the Light Switch” provides a balanced perspective to the critical energy issues surrounding the future of energy in the U.S. The first Milwaukee-area broadcasts of the two-part program are:
April 9 - Channel 10, 2 to 3 p.m. (part I)
April 9 - Channel 10, 3 to 4 p.m. (part II)
April 10 - Channel 36, 3 to 4 p.m. (part I)
April 17 - Channel 36, 3 to 4 p.m. (part II)

Other air dates are available on the program's website, which also has a trailer, videos and more.