Home > News & Information > News Releases >

For Release: 06/01/2005

Wisconsin Public Service Requests Emissions Control Upgrade at Weston Unit 3

Nitrogen Oxide Reduction by 40 Percent

(Green Bay-Wis) Wisconsin Public Service Corporation, a subsidiary of WPS Resources Corporation (NYSE:WPS), has applied to state utility regulators to upgrade emission control equipment at the Weston 3 power plant near Wausau, Wisconsin. If approved, the upgrade would reduce nitrogen oxide, or NOx, by 40 percent from existing levels, which already meet current environmental requirements. NOx is an emission that results from burning coal and contributes to atmospheric ozone levels and fine particulate levels.

The $7.5 million project includes not only the new equipment but also structural modifications needed to install the new equipment, alterations to existing equipment, and the necessary instrumentation and controls to operate and monitor the upgraded system.

“We’ve done a good job of meeting emission standards for the first 25 years of operating Weston Unit 3,” said Roger Zimmermann, Weston Plant Manager. “With new environmental restrictions on the horizon, we felt now would be a good time to upgrade our older equipment with new and improved technologies.”

Wisconsin Public Service expects the project to be approved in the fall of this year, which would allow construction to begin in one year and the new equipment to be operational in 2007.

The work will be done to minimize the time the unit is taken out of service. System operators will make sure there is sufficient power to meet customer demands when the plant is not available to operate.

The new emission-control equipment will be installed on Weston Unit 3 at the same time the new 500-megawatt Weston Unit 4 is being built.

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. You can identify these statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts and often include words such as “anticipate,” “expect,” “intend,” and other similar words. Forward-looking statements are beyond the ability of WPS Resources to control and, in many cases, WPS Resources cannot predict what factors would cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by forward-looking statements. Please see WPS Resources Corporation’s periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (including its 10-K and 10-Qs) for a listing of certain factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements.

For More Information, Contact: