Wisconsin

Oil & gas and construction news for subcontractors working in Wisconsin — 25 stories and counting.

EIA: Solar Generation to Jump 21% in 2026 on Data Center Demand

The U.S. Energy Information Administration forecasts solar generation growth of 21% in 2026 and 18% in 2027, driven by data center and manufacturing electricity demand, with growth concentrated in ERCOT and MISO.

Yesterday

Industry

$1.8B Blatnik Bridge Project Breaks Ground, Opens Multiyear Bid Pipeline

Minnesota and Wisconsin officials broke ground on the $1.8 billion John A. Blatnik Bridge replacement, a design-build project expected to run through 2031 and generate up to 1.75 million labor hours.

Sep 1, 2026

Editorial image: Twilight aerial bridge construction groundbreaking - $1.8B Blatnik Bridge Project Breaks Ground, Opens Multiyear Bid Pipeline

Industry

Truck Strikes Line 5 Valve Site in Wisconsin, Triggers Gas Plume and Evacuation

An unoccupied semi truck rolled into an excavation site near Saxon, Wisconsin, striking a Line 5 valve and releasing natural gas liquids, forcing evacuations near Enbridge's $1 billion pipeline reroute project, ENR reports.

Aug 27, 2026

Compliance

Wisconsin Food Plant Fined $364K After Kettle Blasts Kill Three Workers

OSHA hit IPMF, LLC (NaturPak) with $364,100 in penalties after two industrial kettle incidents killed three workers and injured two others at its Wisconsin facility, citing repeat lockout/tagout and fall-hazard violations.

Aug 25, 2026

Industry

Data Center Power Deals Spark Ratepayer Fights in Wisconsin, Illinois

Microsoft and PowerHouse Hillwood have filed disputes at FERC over transmission agreements for data centers in Wisconsin and Illinois, raising fresh questions about who pays for grid infrastructure tied to hyperscale campuses.

Aug 24, 2026

Industry

ATC's Central Wisconsin 345-kV Rebuild Enters Active Construction

American Transmission Co. has installed the first structure on its Grid Forward Central Wisconsin project, a MISO-approved 345-kV rebuild now 5% complete and on track for a December 2030 in-service date.

Aug 14, 2026

Industry

Federal Court Upholds Trespass Ruling on Enbridge's Line 5 in Wisconsin

A 7th Circuit appeals court has affirmed that Enbridge's Line 5 pipeline trespasses on Bad River Band tribal land in Wisconsin, keeping pressure on the company's $1 billion reroute project even as no new removal deadline was set.

Aug 13, 2026

Industry

Army Corps Permits Line 5 Tunnel, But Michigan Court Fight Stalls Start

The Army Corps of Engineers has approved a federal permit for Enbridge's Line 5 tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac, but a vacated state approval means construction won't begin immediately, ENR Midwest reports.

Aug 12, 2026

Workforce

Mutual Aid Crews Restore 90% of Power After EF-3 Tornado Hits Menasha, Wisconsin

T&D World reports that 80 lineworkers from 16 WPPI Energy member utilities helped restore power to Menasha, Wisconsin, after a July 27 EF-3 tornado snapped more than 60 poles.

Aug 7, 2026

Editorial image: Mutual aid crews restoring storm damage - Mutual Aid Crews Restore 90% of Power After EF-3 Tornado Hits Menasha, Wisconsin

Industry

Lunda Lands $54.7M Contract for Wisconsin Interchange Bridges

Tutor Perini subsidiary Lunda Construction will build two signature flyover bridges for the I-41/WIS 441 interchange in Outagamie County, Wisconsin, opening bid opportunities for structural and civil subs through 2029.

Aug 5, 2026

Industry

BofA Sees 100+ GW Power Gap Fueling On-Site Gas, Battery Boom

Bank of America projects US data center demand will outstrip utility generation additions by more than 100 GW through 2030, a gap analysts say will push developers toward on-site gas engines and battery storage.

Jul 17, 2026

Industry

Utilities Seek $18.6B in Rate Hikes as Grid Capex Hits $1.4T Pipeline

Electric utilities requested $18.6 billion in rate increases in the first half of 2026, T&D World reports, with investor-owned utilities planning $1.4 trillion in capital spending through 2030 that points to sustained T&D construction demand.

Jul 16, 2026

Industry

DOT Awards $1.73B in BUILD Grants for Roads, Transit, Ports

The Department of Transportation's 2026 BUILD grant cohort directs $1.3 billion to roads and bridges, $169.9 million to transit and $136.8 million to port projects across 127 awards nationwide.

Jul 9, 2026

Industry

Midwest Construction Boom Strains Labor Pool as Data Centers Rise

ENR Midwest reports data center and power generation projects are driving a Midwest construction surge, with McCarthy Building Cos. projecting a shortage of roughly 10,000 electricians and pipefitters within 18 months.

Jul 6, 2026

Industry

Ames-Kraemer Joint Venture Named Contractor for $1.4B Blatnik Bridge Replacement

Minnesota and Wisconsin have selected Ames-Kraemer Joint Venture II for the $1.4 billion design-build replacement of the John A. Blatnik Bridge, with construction set to begin late 2026 and wrap in 2031.

Jun 24, 2026

Editorial image: Night bridge construction over water - Ames-Kraemer Joint Venture Named Contractor for $1.4B Blatnik Bridge Replacement

Industry

220-Foot Steel Span Hoisted Into Place on $140M Mississippi River Bridge Rebuild

Kraemer North America completed a 12-hour strand jack lift of a 1.8-million-lb steel center span on the Lansing Bridge reconstruction, a key milestone on the $140M Iowa-Wisconsin crossing project.

Jun 19, 2026

Industry

DOI Deal Redirects $765 Million from Offshore Wind to Natural Gas and Geothermal

The U.S. Department of the Interior has reached a settlement with Invenergy to terminate four offshore wind leases and redirect $765 million toward natural gas and geothermal projects across the Midwest and western US.

Jun 18, 2026

Editorial image: Geothermal wellhead at dawn - DOI Deal Redirects $765 Million from Offshore Wind to Natural Gas and Geothermal

Industry

Diesel Mechanics Seek Trump Pardons as DOJ Ends Criminal Prosecution of Clean Air Act Defeat Device Cases

A growing list of diesel mechanics and shop owners convicted under the Clean Air Act for installing emissions defeat devices are pursuing presidential pardons, following the successful clemency granted to Wyoming mechanic Troy Lake last November.

Jun 14, 2026

Editorial image: Diesel shop, night, pardons - Diesel Mechanics Seek Trump Pardons as DOJ Ends Criminal Prosecution of Clean Air Act Defeat Device Cases

Industry

Industrial Construction Holds Steady in Upper Midwest as Commercial, Residential Activity Falls

A Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis survey found 54% of Upper Midwest construction firms reported declining activity this spring, with industrial and data center work the lone bright spots in the region.

Jun 9, 2026

Editorial image: Industrial site dawn, Midwest - Industrial Construction Holds Steady in Upper Midwest as Commercial, Residential Activity Falls

Industry

Trump Directs $850M to Restart and Upgrade Coal Plants Across 15 States

The Trump administration is directing up to $850 million toward upgrading operating coal plants, restarting decommissioned facilities, and building new capacity in Alaska and West Virginia. Field service companies should weigh near-term construction opportunity against long-term demand uncertainty.

Jun 7, 2026

Editorial image: Coal plant revival from above - Trump Directs $850M to Restart and Upgrade Coal Plants Across 15 States

Industry

US Grid Adds 75 GW of Summer Capacity in a Year, Led by Texas and the West

FERC reports the largest year-over-year capacity increase in over a decade, with nearly 26 GW added in Texas alone, signaling sustained demand for grid construction and interconnection work across the country.

May 23, 2026

Editorial image: Massive grid expansion buildout - US Grid Adds 75 GW of Summer Capacity in a Year, Led by Texas and the West

Industry

NextEra-Dominion $67B Merger Would Create World's Largest Electric Utility

NextEra Energy's proposed $67 billion acquisition of Dominion Energy would create the world's largest regulated electric utility by market capitalization, triggering a massive wave of transmission, substation, and grid infrastructure work across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic.

May 19, 2026

Editorial image: Substation night dramatic contrast - NextEra-Dominion $67B Merger Would Create World's Largest Electric Utility

Industry

Vantage Data Centers' $15B Wisconsin Campus Signals New Era for Hyperscale Construction

Vantage Data Centers is building a 672-acre, $15 billion AI data centre campus in Port Washington, Wisconsin, with nearly one gigawatt of power capacity and 2.5 million square feet in phase one alone.

May 15, 2026

Industry

Canadian Crude Pipeline Expansion Opens Door for US Field Service Work

Canadian oil production growth is driving several new pipeline projects aimed at moving crude to US markets, creating contracting opportunities across pipeline construction, inspection, and support services.

Apr 10, 2026

Editorial image: Pipeline corridor dawn prairie - Canadian Crude Pipeline Expansion Opens Door for US Field Service Work

Industry

Enbridge Breaks Ground on $450M Line 5 Reroute in Wisconsin, 700 Jobs Expected at Peak

Enbridge has begun construction on a 41-mile, $450 million reroute of its Line 5 pipeline in northern Wisconsin, opening up significant contracting opportunities as the project ramps toward a 700-worker peak workforce.

Apr 2, 2026

Editorial image: Pipeline corridor cuts Wisconsin forest - Enbridge Breaks Ground on $450M Line 5 Reroute in Wisconsin, 700 Jobs Expected at Peak

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