Wisconsin LNG Project

We Energies determined additional natural gas capacity was needed to meet the growing demand on the coldest days in southeast Wisconsin. To meet the demand, the utility received regulatory approval to build two peak-shaving Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facilities adjacent to separate gas pipelines in the region – one in Bluff Creek, WI and one in Ixonia, WI.

This entry is specific to the Ixonia location, which received first liquid in January 2024 and is home to a 12,000,000 gallon (1 BCF) double-wall, single-containment liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage tank, compliant with API 625, API 620, and NFPA 59A standards. The scope included the engineering, procurement, fabrication, and construction of the tank foundation, outer carbon steel tank, and 9% Ni steel inner tank. Along with EPFC of the tank itself, the tank insulation system, piping to grade, piping insulation, structural steel, electrical, instrumentation, jib crane, and shop and field coatings work was included in the project scope.

The tank design included space for five in-tank pumps to send LNG out of the tank and a jib crane to service the pumps. Fitting everything on the roof created some design and construction challenges, but the design and construction teams pushed through these challenges to execute the project on schedule.

The project was bid and awarded during the toughest times of the Covid epidemic. Project execution followed suit and persevered through the “supply chain” fallout from Covid. Through all these challenges, and the challenges of building a sister plant in Bluff Creek, we were able to complete the project early so the client could put the tank in service during the 2023-2024 winter heating season.