Gas and Electric Projects

With mild winter weather this year, Madison Gas and Electric (MGE), our utility subsidiary, got a jump on construction season with projects to help boost reliability and meet the energy needs of customers.

Electric enhancements

As major development continues throughout the City of Madison, MGE's electric crews are upgrading electric service in a variety of areas. For example, one improvement will help serve two new high-rises that will house office and retail spaces, a music venue and a new parking structure. MGE's upgrades will enhance reliability and allow for future expansion that is anticipated in the east downtown area. Overall, more than $350 million in redevelopment is projected by 2020 in the Capital East District.

MGE is also beginning a four-year effort to rebuild the electric facilities in some of the older neighborhoods in the City of Madison. Work includes upgrading poles, transformers and wires to enhance reliability.

It is this attention to detail that has kept MGE's electric service reliability among the top four investor-owned utilities in the country for both the fewest number and the shortest duration of outages in each of the last nine years.

Gas pipeline enhancements

Road reconstruction projects are plentiful in Madison and the surrounding areas. In conjunction with these road improvements, MGE gas crews will be working through the fall to relocate gas main pipelines.

MGE is also extending natural gas service to areas that rely on propane or oil. MGE has successfully completed 14 gas expansion projects over the past few years and is moving forward with four additional projects for 2017. Construction crews have already begun installing 50 miles of gas main which, once complete, will be able to serve hundreds of new customers.