Catch the latest energy news from around the region. Check back for these bimonthly Energy News Roundups.
Consumers Energy is looking to offload its aging hydroelectric dams. The utility, which said it is losing money on needed but costly upkeep, is in negotiations to sell its 13 Michigan dams for $1 each and then enter into an agreement to buy the power they produce. The Michigan Hydro Relicensing Coalition, a group of conservation and fishing nonprofits that wants to see the dams removed, is pushing back on the utility’s plans, arguing that a new owner may not make the improvements required to ensure the dams’ safety.
Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta said it has reached an agreement to buy power from a central Illinois nuclear plant for 20 years, starting in 2027, to support data operations and artificial intelligence. The deal with Constellation Energy for power from the Clinton facility comes less than a year after the energy company announced plans to restart a unit at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania that shut down in 2019. Constellation said it is considering the development of an advanced nuclear reactor at the Illinois site.
As a planned nuclear plant restart in Michigan awaits a pivotal decision from federal regulators, groups trying to stop it said they met the June 16 filing deadline for submitting a petition to intervene and request another hearing on the proposal. Michigan’s Palisades plant would be the first retired nuclear facility in the country to be put back into service. Plant owner Holtec International also wants to build small modular reactors at the site and said recently that it’s envisioning those reactors as the start of a larger North American fleet.
Green Bay officials struck a deal at last to move the city’s (in)famous coal piles away from the riverfront. City leaders have been trying to relocate the coal piles for more than 75 years, Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich said. Negotiations had looked precarious in recent months but came through at the eleventh hour, one official said. The deal calls for the coal to be stored near a former power plant site and requires a lease to be finalized by Sept. 15. But officials cautioned that the move could take years to complete.
And a Minnesota solar company is suing Google for defamation, alleging that the tech company’s AI summaries falsely stated that Wolf River Electric was being sued by the state for misleading its customers and charging hidden fees. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison did sue four solar-lending companies last year. Wolf River Electric was not one of them. The company is seeking $110 million to $210 million in damages.
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Featured image: A wave of dam removal projects is happening in Michigan and across the U.S. (Photo Credit: Great Lakes Now)
