PSC grants CPCN for Dawnbreak Solar plus battery storage with conditions

Commissioner Hawkins led the Dawnbreak Solar docket review and summarized the project and record: the merchant-developed proposal includes a ~180 MW AC solar array with accompanying collector system, substation, a 138 kV gen-tie to the ATC Sand Lake substation, and a battery energy storage facility sized at 180 MW / 720 MWh. Primary array areas cover approximately 915 acres with an additional 595 acres of alternate array areas. The applicant provided joint development agreements with Waukesha County and the towns of Oasis, Hancock, Plainfield, and Deerfield.

Hawkins said the record included both supportive and opposing public comments that the commissioners found thoughtful; interveners Clean Wisconsin and CUB participated fully. "I will be voting to approve the CPCN for this project," Hawkins said after walking through energy-priorities, competition, land-use compatibility, brownfield alternatives and environmental-assessment findings. Commissioners discussed project-specific order conditions, including working with the Department of Natural Resources on a revised native-seed mix, requiring a winter-stabilization plan in the stormwater pollution-prevention plan, pre-seeding disturbed areas to minimize erosion, and standard construction and endangered-resources conditions. Clean Wisconsin’s additional requested measures were considered but not adopted beyond the standard and applicant-committed mitigations.

Commissioner Nieto moved the final motion to grant the CPCN consistent with the discussed conditions; the motion was seconded and adopted by voice vote with aye recorded by all commissioners present. The commission’s order will include the agreed project-specific conditions and standard trustee order conditions; staff will draft the final order for issuance. The record noted the applicant’s estimate that annual utility aid payments to affected county and towns could approach $1,000,000 per year, and commissioners cited potential positive water-quality benefits from taking high-capacity wells out of production where applicable.