Renner Barsella, renner.barsella@sierraclub.org
Lansing, MI -- On November 3, DTE filed an updated 15-year energy plan (Integrated Resource Plan) at Michigan Public Service Commission which proposes to:
- Build an additional 800 MW of solar and 240 MW of battery storage over the next five years, and a total of 15.4 GW of renewables plus 1,810 MWs of storage over the next 20 years;
- Retire their Belle River coal plant and convert it to a fossil gas peaker plant, one unit in 2025 and the other in 2026;
- Retire two units of their Monroe coal plant in 2028, 12 years earlier than previously planned (tied to Belle River’s gas conversion);
- Retire the other two units of their Monroe coal plant in 2035 and potentially replace them with another fossil gas plant, combined with carbon capture and storage.
In response, Sierra Club Michigan Senior Beyond Coal Campaign Representative Mike Berkowitz released the following statement:
“While we appreciate DTE proposing a faster path beyond coal, burning it at two units of the Monroe plant until 2035 is too long to meet the urgency demanded by the climate crisis. We also plan to carefully scrutinize whether Belle River can be replaced with clean renewable energy that is good for jobs, public health, and the climate, rather than converting that plant to burn a different polluting fossil fuel – fracked gas – until 2040.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.