Status of Holland power plant proposal changes as Wolverine waits

by Richard Lamb– Advance Editor

While Wolverine Power waits for word on its application for a permit to install (PTI), the major permit needed before construction of a 600-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Rogers Township, the status of another power plant project has changed, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE). The 78-megawatt power plant proposed by the City of Holland as of April 7 is classified as ?open for alternative analysis? after it filed a 235-page document showing its need to construct the power plant. Holland filed its application January 17, 2007. Of five the power plants proposed since 2006, just one has gained approval from the state, and that one came after concessions were made. The 930-megawatt Consumers Energy plant in Essexville gained its PTI December 29, 2009, after the company agreed to begin a phase-out of several older coal-fired plants. Consumers filed its application October 15, 2007.

WOLVERINE FILED its original application September 26, 2007 and revised it January 10, 2008. DNRE officials promised a decision by the end of 2009, but put that off to an indefinite status. Company officials remain hopeful the DNRE will issue the permit soon. Northern Michigan University?s Ripley Heating Plant earned a PTI for a 10-megawatt power plant in May 2008 then withdrew its request one year later. Mid-Michigan Energy withdrew its request to construct a 750-megawatt plant May 13, 2009, after submitting its application in June 2007.

Meanwhile, supporters of Wolverine have kept the heat on state officials with another in a series of ads in downstate newspapers. An advertisement in Monday?s Lansing State Journal directed a question to Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who they accuse of holding up the permit process. ?Is Michigan?s economic solution to be found in Europe? How many trips will it take to equal the 2,000 jobs that will come to the state of Michigan if the Wolverine Clean Energy Venture is allowed to proceed?? they ask in the ad. They said ?it is in your power to give the OK to a $1.5 billion private investment, 2,000 jobs and a chance at a $150 million federal stimulus grant that would put Michigan in the forefront of carbon sequestration technology for the entire United States,? the ad reads.

DNRE SPOKESMAN Bob McCann was posed a series of questions Tuesday on the status of Wolverine. He was asked if the permit would be issued this week; what was meant by the term ?ongoing? he used to describe the permitting process several weeks ago; if there was a timetable for a decision to be made; and if there was some sort of negotiation going on between state officials and Wolverine. His simple reply said there was nothing new to report. ?There isn?t anything new to update this week. I will certainly let you know if that changes however,? McCann responded in answer to the series of questions. In January McCann said Wolverine would now be the focus, after Consumers had its permit.

?REVIEWING ANY permit application with this level of complexity is very resource intensive, and it is no great secret that our department has been facing diminishing resources from year-to-year. While our goal was to make a decision on both Consumers Energy?s application as well as Wolverine?s by the end of the year, we made a decision to focus our resources on ensuring we could complete one by the end of th

e year, our original target. Now that the Consumers permit has been acted on, we can focus those same resources on completing the work on Wolverine?s application,? McCann said January 4. He said Consumers came first ?because it was simply further along in the process.? Rules for making a decision are clear, he said in the January interview. ?The fact that we did not take action on the Wolverine permit application by the end of 2009 has no significance to what our ultimate decision will be on it. As always, we will make our decision based on what the science tells us as well as what the law allows for,? McCann said.

WOLVERINE OFFICIALS had hoped for a decision before April 15 to improve its chances of securing a $147 million grant for carbon sequestration. ?We can file as late as April 15. With or without an air quality permit we will file for the grant,? said Ken Bradstreet, director of government relations and community affairs. ?It will be very unlikely that we would be awarded without an air quality permit. I am guessing that when it gets down to decision time, they would award it to someone else.? Last October, Wolverine received $2.72 million in phase one, a program through the U.S. Department of Energy, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

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