New clean coal plant planned for Michigan

Yesterday, the Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative received a $2.7 million federal grant for their carbon capture and storage project at a coal-generated plant near Rogers City, Mich.

Although Wolverine Power’s 600-megawatt power plant has not yet been built, its CCS demonstration site is planned to capture 300,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) a year. The co-op’s dedication to developing the technology is illustrative of their commitment to building environmentally-conscious plants with the capability to reduce CO2 emissions.

“This gives a lot of credibility to what Wolverine has been saying,” said Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.). “They want to be good stewards of our environment, use the latest technology.”

This is another great example of how building new coal-based plants can benefit the environment while helping us meet growing energy demand. I often wonder why some groups oppose new plants, especially when they’re built for efficiency and accommodations for new clean coal technologies—making them significantly cleaner than their aging counterparts.

These groups are actually standing in the way of progress, obstructing the advancement of the very technologies that will be necessary to meet the environmental standards that they support.

As you can see, Wolverine Power and others in the electric power industry understand that CO2 will become regulated in this country and are planning for the future by making technology investments today. This will allow coal—our most abundant, affordable fuel—to remain a part of America’s energy future.