Fighting the Nemadji Trail Energy Center Gas Plant

Dairyland Power Cooperative, Minnesota Power and Basin Electric are proposing to build a 625-megawatt methane gas power plant in Superior, Wis., along the Nemadji River.

The $700 million Nemadji Trail Energy Center will come with an enormous environmental cost.

The plant would add nearly 3-million tons of carbon pollution into the environment each year, pushing us even further from our climate goals and impacting the health of people who live nearby. Wisconsinites deserve real clean energy, not more massive fossil-fuel-burning power plants.

Call on federal officials to deny subsidies for this climate-polluting gas plant. 

Gas turbine electrical power plant. Energy for support factory in industrial estate. Natural gas tank. Small gas power plant. Power plant using natural gas for fuel. Green energy. Generate electricity

Lake Superior is the lifeblood of Northern Wisconsin.
But the largest Great Lake has a problem: climate change.

The Nemadji Trail Energy Center is a bad deal for Wisconsin

The Public Service Commission approved the construction permit for the gas plant by a 2-1 vote in 2020. While the Chair of the Commission had reservations about the environmental impacts of the project and voted to deny the permit, it was approved anyway.

On February 28th, 2020, Clean Wisconsin and Sierra Club first filed suit to stop construction, arguing the large gas plant would pose significant risks to the environment and that the PSC should not have issued a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity to greenlight the project. Energy needs addressed by the plant could readily be met by higher priority alternatives under Wisconsin’s Energy Prioritization Law, including large-scale renewables paired with battery resources.

You can find the petition for review here.

On May 17, 2022, the Circuit Court upheld the PSC’s approval of the project. Though the judge acknowledged the “massive impacts a major project of this nature holds for the state,” he ultimately dismissed concerns Clean Wisconsin and partners raised with the PSC’s analysis of impacts to environmental conditions at the site and the project’s contributions to climate change.

Clean Wisconsin and Sierra Club have appealed the Circuit Court ruling, arguing that the PSC failed to adequately consider NTEC’s environmental impacts and clean alternatives to the project. A ruling from the Court of Appeals could be issued at any time.

With the plant expected to run for at least 30 years, we could see over 100 million tons more climate-changing greenhouse gases pumped into our skies.

Climate scientists are clear: we need to significantly cut carbon emissions by 2030 to avoid the worst impacts from climate change. This plant would significantly hinder other efforts in Wisconsin to drastically cut carbon emissions.

Wetlands are an important resource for reducing the risk of flooding, as well as improving water quality and providing natural habitat.

Heavy rain events have caused major floods in the area in recent years. As these types of rain events are expected to become more prevalent with the rise in climate change, fewer wetlands could cause more damage to communities and Lake Superior’s shoreline.

The Fight Isn’t Over

The utilities still need a number of environmental permits and approvals–such as wetland fill permits and a federal loan from the USDA. Without these, the project could become dead in the water.

The USDA’s Rural Utilities Service conducted an environmental review of the project and is considering Dairyland’s loan application. Clean Wisconsin, Sierra Club, and Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy are heavily involved in the review, submitting comments addressing deficiencies in RUS’s consideration of the climate impacts of NTEC, among other issues, and urging the agency to deny the loan. This investment of federal funds for a large, newly constructed fossil fuel plant would be at odds with Wisconsin’s 100% carbon-free electricity standard, federal climate commitments, and limiting global warming to 1.5° C by 2050.

A Bad Deal for Superior

Clean Wisconsin staff attorney Brett Korte spoke about why the Nemadji Trail Energy Center Gas Plant would be a bad deal for the city of Superior in front of the city’s planning commission in January 2024. Read more about the project’s negative environmental impacts below.

State of Change Podcast

In this episode, Amy talks with ​Superior City ​Councilor ​Jenny ​Van ​Sickle about local efforts to stop a proposed gas plant from being built along the banks of the Nemadji River. ​Find ​out ​why Van Sickle no longer supports the project — and what YOU can do to help fight the plant.

Nemadji News

| Press Releases

Clean Wisconsin, Sierra Club call on PSC to Rescind Approval of $700 Million Gas Power Plant

| Press Releases

Circuit Court Decision on Nemadji Gas Plant is a Step Backward for Wisconsin

| Press Releases

Petition Filed With Federal Government To Force Climate Study Or Deny Funding For Wisconsin Gas Plant

| Climate and Energy

Why we’re suing to stop the Nemadji Trail Energy Center

| Climate and Energy

Wisconsin regulators approve new gas plant for Superior

| Climate and Energy

The Myth of “Intermittent” Renewable Energy

| Clean Air

Fossil Fuels in the Northland

get the latest

News from Clean Wisconsin

Sign up for environmental news and exclusive alerts from a source you can trust.

"*" indicates required fields

Name