Consumers Energy's Clean Energy Plan Update Wins Regulatory Approval

Consumers Energy’s D.E. Karn coal plant in Hampton Township (source: Consumers Energy)

Consumers Energy is another step closer to becoming coal-free. The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) has approved an agreement with Consumer’s Energy to accelerate progress on the company’s Clean Energy Plan.

“This is a historic moment in Michigan’s clean energy transformation journey,” said Garrick Rochow, President and CEO of Consumers Energy. “The Clean Energy Plan is a sea change that positions our company as a national leader and empowers us to deliver reliable energy while protecting the planet for decades to come.”

The updates to Consumers Energy’s Clean Energy Plan, first approved in 2019, include:

• COAL PLANT RETIREMENTS BY 2025: closes all three units at the J.H. Campbell coal plant in West Olive in 2025 in addition to two units at the D.E. Karn coal plant in 2023 (as per the 2018 Clean Energy Plan) and will be among the first utilities in the nation to go coal-free by 2025.

• SYSTEM RELIABILITY: ensures supply reliability through the purchase of the Covert Generating Station in Van Buren County, a natural gas-fired power plant. Consumers plans to purchase 700 megawatts of electric capacity — roughly the equivalent of a power plant — from a variety of sources through a one-time request for proposal (RFP).

• RISE OF SOLAR: continues the rapid transition to clean, renewable sources by adding nearly 8,000 megawatts (MW) of solar power by 2040 ensuring 90 percent of the company’s capacity comes from clean sources. Learn more at ConsumersEnergy.com/MiSolar

• BATTERY DEPLOYMENT: accelerates energy storage with a total of 75 MW of energy storage by 2027, achieving 550 MW by 2040.

• AFFORDABLE ENERGY: creates price stability and helps customers save an estimated $600 million dollars through 2040 compared to the current plan.

“Together, we’ve created the best Clean Energy Plan for Michigan,” Rochow said. “We’re building a dramatically different energy landscape in which customers won’t have to choose between protecting the planet and their pocketbooks. We will do both while making sure our state has the reliable power it needs.”

Hemlock Semiconductor (HSC) praised the MPSC approval of Consumers’ Clean Energy Plan. “Today is historic for our clean energy future, and we are proud to have helped shift Michigan’s grid to be greener and more sustainable,” said HSC Sustainability Leader Steven Holty. “The majority of HSC’s carbon footprint results from electricity use, and the Clean Energy Plan will advance our progress toward our decarbonization goals.”