"We have made significant strides in recovering from years of underinvestment in our generation infrastructure," PSC executive assistant Dan Ebert said Tuesday in an appearance before the state Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Information Infrastructure.

Ebert said the main reason Wisconsin officials are optimistic about handling peak summer electric usage is a PSC requirement that utilities be able to meet demands 18 percent higher than those expected peaks.

"The PSC staff reports that all Wisconsin utilities will meet or exceed the 18 percent requirement when demand peaks in July or August," he said.

A new power line running from Rockford, Ill., to the Beloit area and new electric generating plants that are to begin operating this summer in Port Washington and on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus provide insurance against summer brownouts, Ebert said.