Detroit Edison announced it will sign a 20-year contract with
L'Anse Warden to supply the utility with renewable energy.
All power suppliers in Michigan are required to have certain percentages of their power provided from renewable resources, and Detroit Edison's plan is to have 10 percent renewable energy by 2015.
"There is a steady flow of projects in the pipeline," says Scott Simons, a spokesman for DTE Energy, in a recent interview with
Model D. "We're not ready to announce them yet. Look for them in the next year or two."
The contract was approved by the Michigan Public Service Commission on Aug. 10 and says that Detroit Edison will buy 17 megawatts of power from L'Anse Warden, in Baraga County.
L'Anse Warden is a wood waste biomass facility, formerly a coal-burning plant. It was converted to burn biomass in recent years and began operations in August of 2009. The biomass plant uses a variety of wood waste as fuel, including paper plant byproducts, wood scraps diverted from landfills, and wood bark and chips, along with quick-growing willow trees.
Detroit Edison provides power to 2.1 million customers in southeastern Michigan.
Writer: Sam EgglestonSource: Scott Simons, Detroit Edison Energy
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