DTE Energy closing three coal plants, constructing large solar array

As part of an effort to transform how it delivers energy, DTE Energy Co. recently said that it will retire eight coal-fired generators at three coal plants in Michigan within the next seven years, while it also builds one of the largest utility-owned solar arrays east of the Mississippi River.

The Detroit-based DTE Energy will retire its River Rouge facility, the St. Clair facility in East China Township and the Trenton facility by 2023. The company also retired three coal-fired generating units earlier this year. In total, the company will retire 11 of its 17 coal-fired units by 2023.

Many coal-fired power plants were built in the 1950s and 1960s and are nearing their retirement age, making it an opportune time to transition to cleaner sources of energy such as solar, wind and natural gas.

“With the Clean Power Plan pending, and other environmental regulations and the options of other fuel sources such as natural gas and renewables, it makes sense for us to begin transitioning from coal to those other resources now,” John Austerberry, manager of communications at DTE Energy, told Daily Energy Insider in a recent interview.

Austerberry said that DTE is currently constructing one of the largest solar arrays in the eastern United States in Lapeer, Michigan, and one of the largest urban arrays in the country on blighted land in Detroit.

“As for solar and wind, DTE is the largest investor in renewable energy in the state, having driven investments of over $2 billion in renewable resources since 2008 – and we’ll continue to invest in the years to come,” Brian Corbett, manager of communications at DTE Energy, said.

DTE operates 26 solar arrays and 12 wind parks. The company’s wind parks and solar arrays create enough zero emission energy to power 400,000 homes, Corbett added.

As its renewable energy generation increases, so will the company’s energy production from natural gas. Last year, DTE purchased the Renaissance natural gas plant in Carson City, Michigan.

DTE is also supporting two bills in the Michigan Legislature, Senate Bills 437 and 438, that would essentially revise parts of the regulatory framework for Michigan’s electric utilities.

The legislation would ensure that Michigan has sufficient generating capacity, Austerberry said. Because 10 percent of Michigan’s power is supplied by marketers who depend upon excess supply from plants like those being retired, “we are getting closer to a potential reliability problem if they cannot meet their customers’ demands for power,” Austerberry said. “We are concerned about the impact that this has on reliability for all customers’ families and businesses in Michigan.”

The Senate Energy and Technology Committee approved the bills in May, and no further action by the Senate is expected until after Labor Day.