Burns & McDonnell Completes Role in Wisconsin Alliant Energy Solar Program

Burns & McDonnell has completed EPC and self-perform construction services for nine Wisconsin solar projects that are part of Alliant Energy’s Clean Energy Blueprint.

Burns & McDonnell started construction on these sites in 2021, with projects completed in stages.

“When you look at all that’s happened in the solar industry over the past three to four years, it’s a significant achievement to complete these projects on schedule,” says Chad Cotter, vice president of solar construction, Burns & McDonnell.

“Having our EPC team, self-perform crews, environmental and permitting specialists, and substation and interconnection support teams integrated with Alliant Energy and the local union halls early in the project was critical to achieving certainty in outcome and delivering on time. But I think most important was Alliant Energy’s bold vision to move forward with these projects despite the volatile period that paused many other projects across the country.”

Nine greenfield substations were also built during this project, with six gen-tie lines consisting of approximately eight miles of 69 kV and 138 kV transmission to get the power to the grid. To alleviate supply chain issues, the team used temporary high-voltage gas circuit breakers decommissioned from an Alliant Energy coal plant to maintain the project schedule while waiting for high-voltage gas circuit breakers to arrive.

The solar facilities span nearly 5,000 acres and collectively add 764 MW of solar capacity to Alliant Energy’s portfolio.