A Fuel Mix for the Future
There is much promise in current and emerging renewable energy technologies, but the Coalition believes Michigan needs an adequate and reliable supply of affordable power. Meeting that need will require the construction of new baseload power plants.
Michigan’s fleet of coal-fired power plants is the second oldest in the nation, with an average age of about 50. These plants supply the majority of power used by Michigan customers. While these plants have been upgraded and equipped with environmental controls to reduce emissions, new, cleaner and more efficient plants will be required in the decades ahead. Within this context, we believe it is important to maintain a diverse mix of fuels. Coal, for example, is a domestically abundant fuel that supports our goal for energy independence, national security and economic vitality. Meanwhile nuclear power produces no greenhouse gas emissions.
Michigan’s utilities are pursuing similar paths to prepare for the day Michigan’s long-suffering economy rebounds and when older plants are retired. Consumers Energy, as part of its Balanced Energy Initiative, plans to build a new 830-megawatt clean coal unit at its Karn/Weadock Generating Complex near Bay City. Detroit Edison continues to pursue a Combined Construction and Operating License application for a possible new nuclear unit at its Fermi site in Monroe. The Wolverine Power Cooperative’s Clean Energy Venture comprises both a baseload power plant and a wind energy development.
Coal: More than 60 percent of Michigan’s electricity comes from coal. Can coal remain a viable part of our energy future even as the United States moves toward programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions? We agree with technology experts that coal can, and will, remain a low-cost energy option in the future. Even now, new technologies to capture and store carbon dioxide, a common byproduct of coal combustion, are being researched and developed. A number of Michigan universities, including Western Michigan University, are working with utilities to research carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies. In addition, a carbon sequestration test is already under way in northern Michigan.
Find out more about efforts concerning the future of clean coal.
Nuclear: Nuclear power is the nation's largest source of carbon-free electricity. It is among the safest, cleanest and most reliable forms of energy available in the United States. Nuclear plants do not have emissions. Nuclear plants do not produce any carbon dioxide. The relatively small amount of waste that a nuclear plant produces can be contained and stored safely. In fact, the use of nuclear power to generate electricity has avoided the emission of nearly as much carbon dioxide as is released from all U.S. passenger cars combined.
Because nuclear power plants are the only large-scale power sources that do not emit any greenhouse gases, they represent a near-perfect bridge technology as we move to an increasingly low- or no-carbon emission environment.
Find out more about nuclear power.