This is a list of electricity-generatingpower stations in Michigan, sorted by type and name. In 2022, Michigan had a total summer capacity of 30,538MW through all of its power plants, and a net generation of 117,497GWh.[2] In 2023, the energy mix was 45.7% natural gas, 22.9% nuclear, 19.2% coal, 6.9% wind, 1.7% biomass, 1.1% other gases, 1.1% petroleum, 1.1% solar, 0.2% hydroelectric, and 0.1% other. Coal use has decreased by half over the last decade, replaced by natural gas and renewables. 60% of renewable generation is wind energy.[1]
Michigan imports all coal and nuclear fuel (uranium), and 82% of natural gas. A goal to produce over 10% of electricity from in-state renewable sources was set in 2015. Major electric companies in Michigan include DTE Electric Company (11,000 MW) and Consumers Energy (9,000 MW).[3]
Nuclear power stations
Nuclear power is a significant source of electrical power in Michigan, producing roughly one-quarter of the state's supply. The two active nuclear power plants supply Michigan less than 30% of its electricity.
Coal power is the second leading source of electricity in Michigan. Although Michigan has no active coal mines, coal is easily moved from other states by train and across the Great Lakes by lake freighters. The lower price of natural gas is leading to the closure of most coal plants with Consumer Energy planning to close all of its remaining coal plants by 2025[5] while DTE plans to retire 2100MW of coal power by 2023.[6]
Michigan has some of its own natural gas production and is a leading state for natural gas transport and storage. Declining prices for natural gas in the early 21st century led to an increase in the number of natural gas power plants. Consumers Energy announced a new 700 MW plant to be built near Flint beginning about 2015[20] while the city of Holland replaced its coal plant with a 114 MW natural gas plant[21] In April 2018, DTE received permission for a 1,100 MW natural gas plant to replace a coal plant in St. Clair.[22]
Fuel oils and other liquid fuels are only a minor fuel used in Michigan for power generation. Some units burn liquid fuel only while some multiple fuel units sometimes use liquid fuels as well.
Landfill gas plants, which use methane collected from garbage dumps to power electrical generators, are in use near a number of Michigan landfills but are only a minor source of power.
Michigan has one pumped-storage hydroelectricity station, on the shore of Lake Michigan, used for power balancing. It is the fifth largest such plant in the world.
Wind power in Michigan grew rapidly due to national price supports and a Michigan mandate to produce 10% renewable energy by 2015. The largest concentration of wind power is in the Thumb region.
↑ Includes conventional hydroelectric and hydroelectric pumped storage.
Related Research Articles
A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid.
DTE Energy is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services in the United States and Canada. Its operating units include an electric utility serving 2.2 million customers and a natural gas utility serving 1.3 million customers in Michigan.
DTE Electric Company was founded in 1886.
Energy in the United States is obtained from a diverse portfolio of sources, although the majority came from fossil fuels in 2021, as 36% of the nation's energy originated from petroleum, 32% from natural gas, and 11% from coal. Electricity from nuclear power supplied 8% and renewable energy supplied 12%, which includes biomass, wind, hydro, solar and geothermal.
Solar power in Michigan has been growing in recent years due to new technological improvements, falling solar prices and a variety of regulatory actions and financial incentives. The largest solar farm in Michigan is Assembly Solar, completed in 2022, which has 347 MW of capacity. Small-scale solar provided 50% of Michigan solar electricity as recently as 2020 but multiple solar farms in the 100 MW to 200 MW range are proposed to be completed by the middle of the decade. Although among the lowest U.S. states for solar irradiance, Michigan mostly lies farther south than Germany where solar power is heavily deployed. Michigan is expected to use 120 TWh per year in 2030. To reach a 100% solar electrical grid would require 2.4% of Michigan's land area to host 108 GW of installed capacity.
Wind power in Michigan is a developing industry. The industrial base from the automotive industry has led to a number of companies producing wind turbine parts in the state. The development of wind farms in the state, however, has lagged behind. In January 2021, there were a total of 1,481 wind turbines in the state with a nameplate capacity of 2,549 MW. The nameplate total exceeded 2,000 MW when Pine River came online in March 2019. Wind provided 4.2% of the state's electricity in 2016.
Energy in the U.S. state of Hawaii is produced from a mixture of fossil fuel and renewable resources. Producing energy is complicated by the state's isolated location and lack of fossil fuel resources. The state relies heavily on imports of petroleum; Hawaii has the highest share of petroleum use in the United States, with 67% of electricity generation in the state coming from petroleum in 2023, compared to less than 1% nationally.
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