Wolverine releases new conceptual image of project site
A new conceptual photo/drawing shows what the power plant proposed by Wolverine Power could look like. The company revealed the drawing this week on its new website. www.wolverinecleanenergy.com. Wolverine remains in the research phase of the project, several steps away from the decision to construct the plant or not. The image is a blending of a photograph and a computer drawing of the site. It shows the size of the exhaust stacks, estimated to be 20 stories tall. By comparison, the Calcite Plant?s crusher house is 12 stories tall. If plans work out, two buildings would be constructed initially, with possibly a third and fourth building added later.
Last May, the company announced that it secured an option to purchase approximately 400 acres of previously mined land from O-N Minerals (Michigan) Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Oglebay Norton Company. Plans call for the co-op to investigate the feasibility of constructing a base load plant within the confines of the limestone quarry, with an access road off US-23 Business Route near Gilpin Field, and a 10-acre parcel south of the main docks for receiving and handling of waterborne solid fuels as was done in the past when coal-fired power was being generated at Calcite for the plant and the community.
The new website addresses issues and concerns, as well as giving the public access to the company. A page for potential vendors is also included as well as information on how to apply for employment with the company. A link to the local citizens? advisory group, co-chaired by Armand Loiselle and EDC/CDC executive director William Valentine, is included on the site. The group meets periodically to address issues related to the project.
THE WOLVERINE BOARD of Directors recently approved a sizeable development budget and the selection of a project development team for the Wolverine Clean Energy Venture (WCEV). The selected companies will assist Wolverine in taking the next step to determine the feasibility of a base load, coal-fired power plant on optioned property near Rogers City. ?Members of the WCEV project development team, all leaders in their areas of expertise, will provide engineering services, environmental consulting services, harbor engineering support and more,? said Dan DeCoeur, Wolverine?s vice president of generation. ?Project development team members will dedicate scores of employees and thousands of hours exploring the Rogers City site.?
WOLVERINE PLANS to work with Burns and Roe Enterprises, Inc., on conceptual power plant design and related engineering services. Headquartered in New Jersey, Burns and Roe and its affiliated companies have eight offices located throughout the United States, as well as offices in Singapore and Taiwan. The company was founded in 1932 and currently has 1,600 employees worldwide. Environmental engineering and consulting services for the development phase of the WCEV will be provided by Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber (FTC&H). FTC&H is headquartered in Grand Rapids and has additional offices in Michigan and Ohio. The company was founded in 1956 and has over 300 employees. Also working with Wolverine Power Cooperative during the development phase, providing permitting support and harbor engineering services, will be Rummel, Klepper & Kahl (RK&K). Headquartered in Baltimore, RK&K has 13 offices across the country. It employs 600 and was founded in 1923.
WHEN THE project was announced last May, plans called for up to 24 months for additional studies to supplement the initial site plan study. The studies include an endangered species study at the site, and studies to comply with state and local regulations. The initial construction phase calls for the completion of two generating units, with capacity of 500 megawatts at a construction cost of approximately $1 billion. If the project goes through, the construction phase would employ several hundred workers.