Wisconsin –In case you missed it, Isaac Orr fromvAlways On Energy Research joined Vicki McKenna for a must-hear interview breaking down their latest report, “Electricity Affordability in Wisconsin: How Wisconsin Has Lost Its Competitive Advantage.” Released in January 2026, the report pulls no punches on why Wisconsinites are getting hammered with skyrocketing power bills- and what needs to change.
To listen to the full interview,click here
Orr stated: “Wisconsin rate payers are in a situation where it’s really the worst of all world when it comes to how these types of things are regulated.”
He went on to say, “It really boils down to the way Wisconsin has monopoly electric utilities. You don’t have a choice who you buy your power from, so if you live in the We Energies service territory, you have to buy your power from We Energies. And the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin is supposed to protect consumers from these kinds of predatory monopoly action. In Minnesota, for example, if Xcel Energy wants to shut down a coal plant, they have to get permission from the regulators. And in Wisconsin, they don’t have to do that. So really, it’s a case of the fox guarding the
hen house, where the utilities are able to shut down their coal plants without any oversight, and they’re all too happy to do it because that means they get to earn more money by building new stuff. And that’s why the utilities and Governor Evers have been
smiling ear to ear in terms of how much money the utilities are making right now.”
Here are points from Always On’s report that Isaac laid out:
Price Surge: Wisconsin’s electricity rates doubled from 6.08¢/kWh in 2001 to 12.72¢ in 2024, second-fastest Midwest rise, 41% above the national average; now second/third-highest regionally behind Michigan/Illinois.
Coal Plant Fiasco: Utilities spent nearly $1B upgrading coal plants but retired them early without PSC approval, leaving ratepayers to pay for ghost assets like Pleasant Prairie’s $500M bill until 2039.
Billions Ahead: S&P forecasts $16.3B for pricier, less reliable wind/solar/batteries plus $12.1B for new gas plants over four years, totaling over $28B in added affordability burdens.
Solutions: Keep existing coal plants operational for the lowest costs; grant PSC veto on non-public-interest closures; mandate selling retired plants to operators instead of billing ratepayers for dead assets.
For the full report, head to https://www.aoenergy.org/.