Wisconsin Public Service provides electricity and natural gas to over 400,000 customers. The electricity produced by the company comes from fossil, nuclear, wind, and hydroelectric generating plants:
Approximately 65 percent of the electricity used annually by Public Service customers comes from our coal-fired power plants, 15 percent from the Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant, and 4 percent from combustion turbines, hydroelectric and renewable resources. The remaining 16 percent comes from purchased power. This purchased power comes not only from neighboring utilities in Wisconsin, but also from utilities in nearby states. These power purchases are generally made to avoid running some of our more expensive generating units, such as combustion turbines. Therefore, these purchases keep our costs (and rates) down.
The company purchases all of its gas supply directly from gas producers and marketing companies, and contracts with ANR Pipeline Company for transportation and storage services needed to deliver the gas from the production areas in Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, and Canada to Public Service's market area in northeastern Wisconsin.