The facility will burn wood waste to generate renewable energy for the members of the Dairyland system.
A subsidiary of DTE Energy Services will own and operate the facility, which is the former EJ Stoneman power plant. The plant will be converted from burning coal to instead utilize wood-waste biomass for fuel. The power purchase agreement has been submitted to the Rural Utilities Service for approval.
The proposed plant is scheduled to come online June 1, 2010. Its 40MW of biomass renewable generation will be enough to power 28,000 residential homes in the Dairyland system.
Bill Berg, Dairyland’s president and CEO, said: We are very pleased to be part of an alliance with DTE Energy Services that benefits both our members and the environment. This renewable resource is a winner on all levels, as it recycles waste wood for use as fuel to generate electricity for a very significant number of energy users in our co-operative system.
