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Story from 2012 – DTE officials announced that it plans to suspend operations of the Michigan Coal Powered Plant at Harbor Beach as soon as August 2013.
The Huron Daily Tribune in Bad Axe says the decision results from federal emission standards that take effect in 2015. Russ Pogats is the director of DTE Energy’s northern power plants. He says the company is evaluating its facilities that burn fossil fuels as it decides how to comply with regulations dealing with mercury and other toxins emitted by air. DTE Energy had to re-evaluate every one of its fossil-fueled plants to determine where it needs to make investments to comply with the new regulations, which are the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards and the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule.
Pogats says the Harbor Beach plant on Lake Huron at the tip of Michigan’s Thumb region is a logical choice for closure. When built in 1968, it was needed to provide voltage support because the area had no transmission system. Transmission lines, called the Thumb Loop Project are now under construction.
The future of the 85-acre parcel in Harbor Beach is unclear. Officials said DTE is working with local economic development officials to find a future use for the site. Once an alternative use for the site is identified, Pogats said the goal is to decommission the power plant as soon as possible.
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