Michigan Does Not Need Large Power Plants Right Now
In its advisory role to the MDEQ on pending air permit applications, the Michigan Public Service Commission staff has found in two separate reports that there is no immediate need for either the 930 MW coal-fired plant proposed by Consumers Power Company nor the 600 MW coal-fired plant proposed by Wolverine Power Cooperative. Although previously the MPSC had issued a report calling for at least one new power plant, the MPSC staff’s newest electric demand forecasts do not justify the plants. The findings do suggest there would be a need for new capacity if old capacity was retired. This seems like the card that Consumers Power Company has been unwilling to play, as it has a number of very old coal fired plants. Accoring to the MPSC staff, if there is no retirement then there is no need for baseload capacity for 13 years. The implications for Detroit Edison’s proposed Fermi 3 nuclear reactor are not clear. The earliest in-service date for that $10 billion plant would be 2018.
