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DTE's coal-fired power plant is located in Monroe, one of the nation's largest.
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Shutdown expedited for DTE's coal-fired power plant near Monroe

THE BLADE/KURT STEISS

Shutdown expedited for DTE's coal-fired power plant near Monroe

MONROE — DTE Energy announced Wednesday it is taking a number of measures to become more aggressive about reducing its carbon footprint, including closing the last two units of its Monroe coal-fired power plant three years ahead of schedule.

The final two units are now to be closed in 2032. Only 20 months ago, DTE had moved up their closure to 2035, five years ahead of the originally planned 2040 closure date that had been announced prior to that.

Decommissioning of that facility’s first two units is still slated to begin in 2028.

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The latest timetable is part of the corporation’s CleanVision Integrated Resource Plan that has been reached in principle between the corporation and the Michigan Public Service Commission, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, and multiple members of environmental groups, business groups, labor groups, and energy industry associations. The state’s public service commission still has to formally approve it.

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Michigan law requires power companies to file an integrated resource plan every five years with the commission. More is expected to be known about the future use of the sprawling Monroe complex, where one of America’s largest coal-fired power plants has operated for decades, when DTE files its next clean energy plan. It is due in December 2026.

Jerry Norcia, DTE chief executive officer, said the latest plan “will make Michigan a national leader in renewable energy by accelerating the Company’s move to carbon-free energy.”

DTE will invest $11 billion over the next decade to retain and grow businesses in Michigan while ensuring the state meets its sustainability goals. It also will direct an additional $110 million to “support our most vulnerable customers,” he said.

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To do that, DTE will build enough renewable energy over the next few years to power four million homes. It also will accelerate development of energy storage and promote more energy efficiency. Its goal is to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions 85 percent by 2032, 90 percent by 2040, and achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

“DTE has been a member of the Monroe County community for decades,” the company said in a statement issued by spokesman Ryan Lowry. “Fully retiring the Monroe Power Plant three years ahead of schedule will not change our commitment and partnership to ensure the county thrives.”

The statement went on to say that Monroe County “represents a strategic corridor for DTE’s generation and delivery of energy throughout Michigan,” and that DTE’s Fermi 2 nuclear plant, in northeast Monroe County’s Frenchtown Township, will “continue to operate in the decades to come.”

“While we do not have immediate plans for the Monroe Power Plant site after retirement, the DTE leadership team is interested in evaluating possible opportunities and looks forward to working with the community to find solutions that result in affordable, reliable and clean energy for our customers,” the statement reads.

Monroe City Manager David L. Robinson said the city has been preparing for the plant’s eventual shutdown, and “is committed to continued partnership with DTE on new economic development opportunities at the current site.”

He said the city is also trying to meet residents' needs as DTE moves forward with an expedited timeline.

“Our communication with DTE has been active and ongoing throughout this process and will remain positive now and in the future," Mr. Robinson said.

A coalition of environmental groups said it was pleased by DTE’s latest plan.

Will Kenworthy, Vote Solar’s senior Midwest regulatory director, called it “a step forward for Michigan’s clean energy transition, and a beacon of what’s possible when policy know-how, regulatory expertise, and community voices converge.”

Bob Clark-Phelps, co-liaison to U.S. Rep Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) for Citizens Climate Lobby, a national group with a local chapter that seeks climate change legislation from Congress, also was pleased.

“Replacing the coal-fired Monroe Power Plant with wind, solar, and storage is a win on multiple fronts: lower costs, cleaner air, good jobs, and a safer, healthier climate for everyone,” he said. “This decision should encourage others to set ambitious clean-energy targets.”

The utility has proposed a 220-megawatt battery storage project at DTE's nearby Trenton Channel Power Plant site.

Built in 1971, the four-unit Monroe power station is the nation’s fourth-largest that generates electricity from coal combustion.

It is one of America’s largest sources of climate-altering carbon dioxide, as well as other greenhouse gases.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, DTE spent $1 billion over 10 years to have devices known as selective catalytic reduction units installed at the Monroe facility.

President George W. Bush chose the Monroe power station as his backdrop when he unveiled his ill-fated Clear Skies Initiative on Sept. 17, 2003. Attacked by critics as an industry rollback, Mr. Bush’s initiative died in Congress.

The Monroe plant is at 3500 E. Front St., about a 20-mile drive from downtown Toledo. It is just east of Monroe, and in an area where the River Raisin meets the western Lake Erie shoreline.

The Monroe plant and the Belle River Power Plant in St. Clair County are DTE's last remaining coal-fired plants. The two produce 40 percent of the utility’s power.

First Published July 12, 2023, 9:50 p.m.

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