MGE reports early progress

MGE Energy's regulated subsidiary, Madison Gas and Electric (MGE), has made early progress on its comprehensive, 10-year Energy 2015 Plan. The plan was established to help ensure a dependable, affordable and environmentally responsible energy supply for MGE's service area through 2015.

MGE has met the majority of its Energy 2015 goals five years ahead of schedule. Energy 2015 progress includes:

• Increasing renewable energy. Under Energy 2015, MGE committed to grow wind energy capacity by five to 10 times. Today, MGE has 12 times the wind capacity it had in 2005.
  
  
• Discontinuing coal burning at Blount Generating Station in 2011. Earlier this year, MGE switched to natural gas as the primary fuel at Blount. Efforts are on track to discontinue coal use completely by the end of 2011.
  
  
• Securing replacement base load energy. In February, MGE began receiving energy from the Oak Creek Power Plant expansion, a new, cleaner coal facility that is also called the Elm Road Generating Station.
  
  
• Increasing energy efficiency and conservation. Customer efforts have saved about 420,000 megawatt-hours of electricity since 2005.

Carbon dioxide reductions

Due to the early progress of Energy 2015, MGE expects a significant decrease in its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. MGE projects from 2005 to 2015:

• 21% decrease in total CO2 emissions.
  
  
• 17% decrease in CO2 rates.

The company originally forecasted an 8% decrease in total CO2 emissions and a 10% reduction in CO2 rates by 2015.