JACKSON, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Calling it a move that will lead Michigan’s clean energy transformation, Consumers Energy Wednesday announced a sweeping proposal to stop using coal as a fuel source for electricity by 2025, which is 15 years faster than currently planned.
Consumers says the plan would make the company one of the first in the nation to go coal-free and provide a 20-year blueprint to meet Michigan’s energy needs while protecting the environment for future generations.
“We are proud to lead Michigan’s clean energy transformation and be one of the first utilities in the country to end coal use,” President and CEO Garrick Rochow said. “We are committed to being a force of change and good stewards of our environment, producing reliable, affordable energy for our customers while caring for our communities during this transition.”
If the plan is approved by the Michigan Public Service Commission, it would speed closure of Consumer Energy’s three coal-fired units at the Campbell generating complex near Holland.
The transition to sources includes the addition of nearly 8,000 megawatts of solar power. Consumers Energy currently operates solar power plants at Western Michigan University, Grand Valley State University, and in Cadillac, and purchases solar generation from several sites in Michigan.
As part of the transition away from coal generation, Consumers Energy is proposing to buy four existing natural gas-fired power plants in the state: Covert Generating Station in Van Buren County; Dearborn Industrial Generation in Wayne County; Kalamazoo River Generating Station in Kalamazoo County; and Livingston Generating Station in Otsego County.
The utility says those natural gas plants, along with Consumers Energy’s current natural gas-fired power plants in Zeeland and Jackson, would supply steady, reliable electricity for homes and businesses as the company invests more heavily in renewable energy and continues to explore emerging technology to minimize impact on the environment.
