KEWAUNEE COUNTY, Wis. (WFRV) – The Kewaunee Power Station is another step closer to generating nuclear power again.
Utah-based EnergySolutions, the company that now owns the power station, announced on their website that they have submitted a notice of intent to a federal regulator confirming plans to apply for a license for nuclear generation at the Kewaunee Power Station.
“This is an important milestone in moving towards the next generation of nuclear power in Wisconsin in partnership with WEC Energy Group,” Energy Solutions president and CEO Ken Robuck said in the statement. “As communicated when we announced this initiative in May of 2025, the need for reliable, carbon-free power has never been greater. We have assembled an experienced team that brings environmental compliance, nuclear licensing and project management expertise to this project at a time new nuclear generation in Wisconsin is essential.”
After generating nuclear power for nearly 40 years, the Kewaunee Power Station shut its doors back in 2013. It’s currently in the decommissioning process.
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“Let’s put it this way in my opinion, it never should have been shut down,” town of Carlton chairman David Hardtke told Local 5 News.
The Kewaunee Power Station is in the town of Carlton and Hardtke has been highly involved in the process of communicating information about the potential project to residents.
He said most residents have shown support for nuclear power returning to the Kewaunee Power Station.
“Get some jobs and get some utility tax revenue back into the town and the county,” he said.
Last spring, there was more widespread push back against the project because several residents received letters asking for them to sell their land around the power plant. This created widespread speculation that the project would entail more than just nuclear power and that EnergySolutions may try wind or solar energy projects as well.
At a board meeting back in May, representatives from EnergySolutions said that they wouldn’t pursue solar or wind energy as part of this project at the Kewaunee Power Station. Hardtke said this really made a lot of people feel better about the project.
On Friday, Local 5 News reached out to EnergySolutions for comment on the status of the project and didn’t hear back.
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WEC Energy Group, the parent company of Wisconsin Public Service, has partnered with EnergySolutions on the Kewaunee Power Station project.
WEC Energy Group, the parent company of Wisconsin Public Service (WPS), has been working with EnergySolutions to explore the potential for new nuclear generation at the site since last spring. It is important to note we are still very early in this process, with numerous steps remaining, including a rigorous permitting process by the NRC.
Our focus remains on working with EnergySolutions to help secure NRC permits. If a decision is made to move forward, construction could begin in the first part of the next decade, and the plant could come online in 2038 or 2039.
