_{A rendering of the proposed Nemadji Trail Energy Center in Superior, which utilities say would provide enough power for roughly half a million homes. <em>Image courtesy of Minnesota Power</em>}

USD/BTC = $78,435
Block 974,205

Cost: $1 billion

The Nemadji Trail Energy Center in Superior, Wisconsin is dead. Dairyland Power Cooperative and South Shore Energy told the state Public Service Commission they are giving up the project approvals for the $1 billion natural gas plant.

The plant would have produced 550 to 625 megawatts, enough for about half a million homes, with 350 construction jobs and 25 full time jobs. The PSC approved it back in 2020.

What killed it was time. Years of legal challenges from Indigenous and environmental groups, the city of Superior denying local approvals, and the air, wetland and construction permits expiring while it all sat in limbo. Minnesota Power walked away from its power purchase agreement last December and that was that. No construction ever started.

The kicker: Wisconsin utilities expect electricity demand to jump 40 percent by 2032 on data center growth. A billion dollars of generation just walked off the board while the load is coming anyway.

Sad to see. The environmentalists won this battle. Hope people are ready to see their power bills go up!