US energy supplier Upper Michigan Energy Resources filed an application with the Michigan Public Service Commission to build two gas-fired power plants in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
If approved, UMERC will construct, own and operate a power plant in Baraga County and another in Marquette County, totalling approximately 183 MW, the company said at the end of January.
The proposed facilities would use reciprocating internal combustion engines running on natural gas.
UMERC underlined among the advantages of the technology, the fact “efficiency is maintained over a wide range of generation output” while “environmental impact is minimal, including limited water use” and engines are delivered and installed in modules sized for needed capacity.
Construction of the generating stations is expected to begin in late 2017 or early 2018, and are scheduled to come in operation in 2019.
Pending approval from the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), this would allow for the retirement of the coal-fueled Presque Isle Power Plant in Marquette, Michigan “no later than 2020” the company said.
UMERC is to invest some $277 million in the proposed new plants.
“This filing is another significant step forward in our commitment to a long-term viable solution for electric reliability in the U. P.,” said J. Patrick Keyes, president of UMERC.
Upper Michigan Energy Resources, a subsidiary of WEC Energy Group, serves nearly 40,000 energy customers in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
