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For Release: 08/18/2008

Newest Weston Electric Generating Unit Dedicated

Wausau, WI - With a ceremonial snip of a ribbon by local, state and company officials, the new $774-million, state-of-the-art, electric generating unit — Weston Power Plant's Unit 4, south of Wausau in central Wisconsin — was dedicated today.

Officially dedicating the new unit were Public Service Commission of Wisconsin Chairperson Eric Callisto, Wisconsin Public Service Corporation President Charlie Schrock, Dairyland Power Cooperative President and Chief Executive Officer Bill Berg, Village of Rothschild President Neal Torney, and Village of Kronenwetter President Rick Smith.

The new 525-megawatt, low-sulfur-coal-fueled power plant became commercially operational on June 30, 2008, and was being dispatched by the Midwest Independent System Operator on July 1, 2008, following an aggressive construction schedule that took more than 3.5 (three point five) years to complete. Just under 4.5 (four point five) million work-hours were logged to complete the 14,621 specific tasks that were part of building the new power plant.

"We are most appreciative of everyone’s hard work and dedicated effort to get the plant built and operating," said Charlie Schrock, President of Wisconsin Public Service Corporation, a subsidiary of Integrys Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE: TEG). Groundbreaking was in October 2004. "Our dream is now a reality."

Schrock also pointed out that in this, the company's 125th year of existence, electricity has been generated at the Weston site for more than 50 years. The new generating unit joins Weston Unit 3 (300 megawatts, 1981), Unit 2 (75 megawatts, 1960), and Unit 1 (60 megawatts, 1954). “With the newest addition, the Weston site now is able to produce nearly 1,000 megawatts of reliable base-load electricity,” Schrock added. "That's significant for central Wisconsin."

Schrock added the new unit is one of, if not the cleanest fossil-fueled power plant in the country. A high-efficiency boiler and a state-of-the-art emission control system, in combination with the use of low-sulfur coal as a fuel source are helping to keep emissions low.

There was a significant economic impact on the area during the construction of Weston 4. Over this construction period, nearly 4,700 workers, including those employed by about 40 local and regional contractors, with a payroll of $250 million were needed to complete all the work. In addition, an estimated $20 to $30 million in local goods and services were purchased during construction. Local municipalities and Marathon County will receive a significant increase in the shared revenue payments now that Weston 4 is operational. About 40 permanent power plant jobs were added to operate the plant.

Wisconsin Public Service owns 70 percent of the new plant and operates it while Dairyland Power Cooperative of western Wisconsin owns the other 30 percent. The total project cost was split between the two entities by ownership percentage.

About Wisconsin Public Service Corporation

Wisconsin Public Service Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Integrys Energy Group, Inc. (NYSE: TEG), is an electric and natural gas utility headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It serves approximately 433,000 electric customers and 314,000 retail natural gas customers in residential, agricultural, industrial, and commercial markets. The company's service area includes northeastern and central Wisconsin, and an adjacent portion of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Additional information is available online at: www.wisconsinpublicservice.com.

About Dairyland Power Cooperative

With headquarters in La Crosse, Wis., Dairyland provides wholesale electricity to 25 member distribution cooperatives and 17 municipal utilities. A Touchstone Energy Cooperative, Dairyland's service area encompasses 62 counties in four states (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois). Dairyland's generation resources include coal, natural gas, hydro, wind, landfill gas and animal waste. For more information, please visit www.dairynet.com.

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