Catch the latest energy news from around the region. Check back for these bimonthly Energy News Roundups.
The draft environmental review of Enbridge’s Line 5 tunnel project under the Straits of Mackinac is out at last. While the findings are preliminary, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers found that the 3.6-mile tunnel would lessen the risk of oil spills and more effectively contain any oil that spilled. All this despite causing “direct, detrimental effects” — mostly during construction — on trees, wetlands and cultural resources, key concerns among environmental and Tribal groups. A public comment period on the draft review is open through the end of the month.
A Michigan coal plant that was scheduled to close May 31 has instead been directed to stay open at least through late August. The Trump administration said in a May 23 emergency order that “an emergency exists in portions of the Midwest … due to a shortage of electric energy, a shortage of facilities for the generation of electric energy, and other causes.” Consumers Energy planned to retire the plant as part of its transition away from coal. State officials said the federal order to keep it open was unnecessary.
Weeks after it was signed, Ohio’s sweeping new energy law is getting mixed reviews from climate advocates. The solar industry is counting it as a win, thanks to several incentives meant to encourage new electricity production regardless of the technology used. The law also ends coal subsidies tied to the state’s 2019 energy bribery scheme. But it bans settlements that would require the closure of “base load” generation resources — a term that, in this case, only applies to nonrenewable resources like coal and nuclear and doesn’t count wind or solar facilities, even when they are paired with battery storage.
Wisconsin utility We Energies’ $1.5 billion pair of natural gas power plants got the green light from state regulators late last month. Construction is expected to start this year. Both plants will be located south of Milwaukee, with one set to replace retiring coal units in Oak Creek and the other joining an existing gas plant in Paris. Environmental groups challenged the utility’s plan to invest in expensive new fossil fuel infrastructure and raised concerns about air quality impacts.
Also in Paris, Wisconsin’s first large-scale energy storage project is now online. We Energies is the majority owner. The facility pairs a 200-megawatt solar array with a 110-megawatt battery portion — consisting of about 12,000 lithium-ion batteries — that the utility said can power more than 130,000 homes for four hours.
More energy news, in case you missed it:
- The Department of Energy canceled nearly $4 billion in grants that were authorized by the Biden administration, affecting projects in Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and western New York.
- Sixteen states — including Illinois, Michigan, New York and Wisconsin — and several environmental groups sued the Trump administration seeking to unfreeze funds for electric vehicle charging stations.
- An Illinois bill intended to spur more renewable energy development died at the end of the state’s legislative session.
- Canada-based solar module manufacturer Heliene celebrated the grand opening of a plant near Minneapolis, where it expects to hire 220 new employees.
- A Chicago-area carbon recycling company that is not yet profitable said in state filings that it will lay off 44 of its 383 employees.
Catch more news at Great Lakes Now:
Here comes the region’s first next-generation nuclear reactor
After six years, Ohio moves to end coal bailouts that have been in place since bribery scandal
Featured image: A marker indicates the location of Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac. (Great Lakes Now Episode 1024)[php function=”remove_swift_shortcodes”]