I talked about the importance of Peaking Generation in my last post.  Wolverine operates peaking generation in Tower, Gaylord, Hersey, Vestaburg and Sumpter Twp.  Our plants are very well maintained, and in most cases, in very good condition… and we need more!

Why do we need more Peaking Generation?

The primary reason is that older coal plants will shut down in the Midwest in the next couple of years.  They are very old (many dating to the 1950s), they are not very efficient, they aren’t very clean, and they are expensive to upgrade.  So the good news is that our environment will continue to get cleaner, but the bad news is we are getting uncomfortably close to the point where we don’t have enough generation.

Blowing in the Wind

Wind generation is playing a role too.  No matter your opinion on wind, wind generation is changing the order of things.  When the wind blows, wind is the cheapest form of generation — the wind is “free” right?  But when the wind doesn’t blow, wind generation is irrelevant.  So far, no one has figured out how to make the wind blow on command, so peaking generation offers a flexible alternative to traditional coal and nuclear plants.

Welcome Alpine!

Wolverine announced the Alpine Power Plant in November after a three-year search for the best site and best technology.  Brian Warner and Joe Hughes had to purchase property and navigate some challenging zoning waters.  Brian Bejcek negotiated a turbine contract with GE, while Chad Geiger and Janet Kass ran the numbers to ensure the project made financial sense.  Only six weeks later, we presented the entire package to the Wolverine Board and after several hours of deliberation, they gave us the go-ahead.  No other utility in Michigan can move this fast!