New and Cleaner Generation
Time and again, Consumers Energy has proven its ability to serve Michigan customers safely during the company’s long and proud history.
Our existing power generation fleet is the oldest in the nation, averaging 50 years. Eventually, it will need to be replaced as the units become costly and inefficient to maintain. Despite the challenges that accompany aging facilities, we’ve made significant contributions to make Michigan’s air the cleanest it’s been in the modern age.
We continue to focus on complying with the federal Clean Air Act and the many related state and federal regulations governing air quality.
We plan to spend $1.6 billion through 2017 to further reduce emissions at our existing coal-fired power plants. The investments will include scrubbers for SO2 with fabric filters that are scheduled to begin operating at our two largest units in 2014 and 2015.
The installation of three selective catalytic reduction (SCR) units at coal-fired generating plants over the past decade has proven instrumental in reducing NOx emissions. The post-combustion technology converts NOx into nitrogen and water using a reducing agent and a precious metal catalyst. An additional SCR is currently being installed at our J.H. Campbell 2 unit near Holland and is expected to be operational by 2012.
We’ve also developed a viable strategy to comply with upcoming mercury regulations. We initiated mercury emission testing in 2005 and have performed baseline characterization at all units. Real-time mercury monitoring equipment has been installed at most units and the technology is being tested.
Time and again, Consumers Energy has proven its ability to serve Michigan customers safely during the company’s long and proud history.