We are in for the long haul’ says Wolverine
by Richard Lamb, Advance Editor
Saying ?we are in it for the long haul,? Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative, Inc. officials said the agreement to purchase a 340-megawatt (MW) natural gas-fired power plant in southern Michigan does not affect its commitment to the Rogers Township project, despite claims otherwise posted on Web sites of those opposed to the Wolverine project. The co-op confirmed that the sale of the natural gas powered electricity-producing plant in Sumpter is expected to close in the first quarter of 2010. It does not mean Wolverine is abandoning plans to build a 600-MW power plant in Presque Isle County, Wolverine spokespeople said Monday. The Sumpter plant, built in 2002, is considered a peaking power plant, licensed only for limited use, not a baseload plant as proposed for the quarry just south of Rogers City.
?The Sumpter Plant was built with the intention of serving customers in northwest Ohio and participating in the emerging competitive electricity marketplace in Michigan,? said Gary R. Leidich, executive vice president of FirstEnergy, and president of FirstEnergy Generation. ?As our only facility in Michigan, the Sumpter Plant no longer is a good strategic fit for us.?
FirstEnergy is headquartered in Akron, Ohio. Its seven electric utility operating companies serve customers within a 36,100-square-mile area of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. WOLVERINE?S PLANS remain focused on the Rogers Township plant, officials said Monday. Ken Bradstreet, director of communications and governmental affairs, said Wolverine is still working hard on bringing its proposed baseload plant to Presque Isle County, and Wolverine saw this as a good opportunity.
?This gives us some options we didn?t have before,? he said. The Sumpter plant does not meet all of the long-term needs anticipated by Wolverine, so the need for the new plant in Rogers Township remains. ?We are working at everything we know how to do to make this (Rogers Township) power plant work,? Bradstreet said. THE COMPANY still awaits a decision on its major permit application, the permit to install, or air quality permit filed with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in September 2007. The DEQ has said a decision is expected by the end of this year.
According to Melissa Byrnes, the lead DEQ engineer charged with evaluating Wolverine?s permit, there has been no decision made, but her part of the evaluation has been completed. Now it is in the hands of her superiors. ?There still has not been any decision made in regards to Wolverine. My duties have been fulfilled and I am still anticipating a decision will be made by the end of the year. As of today, G. Vinson Hellwig is still the decision maker,? Brynes said Monday. At a series of public hearings in Rogers City and Lansing, the DEQ ?decision maker? air quality chief Hellwig listened to comments offered, both for and against the power plant. He explained that after staff evaluation of the science of the project in regards to the law, he would make the final decision on whether or not to grant that permit.
Wolverine has stated it has a significant capacity need beginning in 2011 due to the expiration of existing purchased power agreements. CONTRACTS TO purchase that power are set to expire Dec. 31, 2011 without a ?meaningful, competitively-priced, long-term offer for power supply,? Wolverine CEO Eric Baker said while speaking in Rogers City Sept. 1.
Wolverine owns and operates five electric generating facilities capable of producing approximately 200 MW located in Tower, Gaylord, Hersey, Vestaburg and Burnips. Wolverine Power announced its plans in May of 2006 for construction of a 600-MW power plant project, planned for land within the Calcite quarry.