Utilities

Billions of dollars are being invested in the region’s utility infrastructure to meet the future demands of the region’s businesses, industries and residents while maintaining the region’s competitive rates, which have historically been below national and Midwest averages.

We Energies, which provides electricity and natural gas throughout the region, is in the midst of its Power the Future program, which will increase the utility’s power-generation capacity by 50 percent (while reducing power plant emissions 65 percent) when it is completed in 2010.

Coal-based generating units at Port Washington Power Plant have been replaced with two natural-gas-based units, and two additional coal-based units recently constructed at the Oak Creek expansion project. We Energies’ total generation will expand from about 6,000 megawatts today to approximately 8,300 megawatts. In addition, We Energies is:

• Improving existing power plants to increase efficiency and reduce emissions

• Replacing thousands of miles of power lines, adding more than a dozen new substations, and implementing new technologies to monitor power delivery
• Expanding the use of wind, solar and biomass renewable energy sources so that they account for 5 percent of the utility’s retail electricity sales by 2011

In 2008, We Energies was named the winner of the ReliabilityOne award in the Midwest region, marking the sixth time in the past eight years the utility has been honored. The award is given annually by PA Consulting Group to the utilities that have excelled in delivering reliable electric service to their customers.

The Energy for Tomorrow program created by We Energies has been named one of the Top 10 Utility Green Power Programs in the nation for 2008 by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

In addition to We Energies, other electric utilities serving the area include Alliant Energy and municipal electric utilities in Cedarburg, Oconomowoc, Hartford, Elkhorn and Slinger.

Water

The region’s proximity to Lake Michigan, the sixth largest fresh-water lake in the world, provides businesses with an abundant and reliable source of water. In addition, the Milwaukee Region has the lowest wastewater treatment rates among the nation’s 50 largest urban areas.

The Milwaukee Water Works is the drinking water utility owned by the City of Milwaukee. With Lake Michigan as its source, it provides clean, safe drinking water to residents and businesses of Milwaukee and 15 neighboring communities. Milwaukee Water Works offers water-intensive industry and abundant supply of treated water at a consistent, reliable pressure.

Milwaukee's abundant, high-quality supply of water is one of the reasons Coca-Cola Enterprises, Cargill Meat Solutions, The Falk Corporation and MillerCoors successfully operate their businesses here. Milwaukee Water Works operates at one-third its rated capacity and can treat billions of gallons of water in addition to the 34 billion gallons it currently treats annually. Learn more about the benefits Milwaukee's water can offer your business.

Telecommunications

The Milwaukee Region offers a multitude of telecommunications options. AT&T is the area’s largest local-access service provider, followed by TimeWarner, which provides extensive cable-based telecommunications services throughout the region. Other telecommunications providers include TDS, which serves most of the Milwaukee Region, and CenturyLink, which serves the Mukwonago area. A complete list of all telecommunications providers serving the area is available through The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin.