Consumers Energy’s natural gas plant on Fairview Avenue is expanding as part of the utility’s effort to bolster its infrastructure to generate more electricity and respond faster to demand. The utility is investing $37 million into the project, which is expected to be completed in the middle of next month.
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
Consumers Energy’s natural gas plant in Zeeland is undergoing an expansion.
Upgrades to the Fairview Avenue plant began in March and are expected to be completed by mid-June prior to the summer peak generating season, according to utility officials.
Consumers is investing $37 million into the expansion, which includes an advance gas path (AGP) system to boost power output and fuel efficiency, along with an advanced fuel system (AFS) to better control how fuel is mixed.
These upgrades will allow the turbines to generate more electricity and respond faster to demand, while staying within existing annual emission limits and result in 50 additional megawatts for customers along with a 2.5 percent improvement in fuel efficiency, Consumers spokeswoman Trisha Bloembergen said.
The projected savings from the project is expected to generate enough return to pay for itself within four-and-a-half years, Bloembergen said.
“This expansion of our Zeeland facility is a powerful step forward in our commitment to reliability,” Consumers vice president of generation operations Norm Kapala said. “As demand for electricity continues to evolve, we’re taking proactive measures to ensure our customers continue to receive dependable energy around the clock - especially as our communities grow.”
The expansion will boost the plant’s capacity to 980 megawatts of power, Bloembergen said.
“This is not just an investment in power generation - it's an investment in Michigan's future,” Kapala said. “We’re building a stronger, smarter energy grid that protects our communities and supports our state’s economic growth.”
The Zeeland expansion is one of several major projects Consumers has undertaken to bolster its infrastructure to ensure reliable energy delivery. Other projects include maintaining the utility’s Jackson generating station and expanding gas-fired facilities such as the recent purchase of a generating station in Covert.
The Consumers Zeeland plant was originally built by Mirant Corporation. It began operating commercially in 2001 with an initial simple-cycle system. A second phase that brought in a combined-cycle system went online in the fall of 2002.
Consumers Energy acquired the Zeeland plant from LS Power Group in December 2007 at a cost of $517 million. LS Power Group had purchased the plant from Mirant earlier that year.
Zeeland Record
Consumers Energy’s natural gas plant in Zeeland is undergoing an expansion.
Upgrades to the Fairview Avenue plant began in March and are expected to be completed by mid-June prior to the summer peak generating season, according to utility officials.
Consumers is investing $37 million into the expansion, which includes an advance gas path (AGP) system to boost power output and fuel efficiency, along with an advanced fuel system (AFS) to better control how fuel is mixed.
These upgrades will allow the turbines to generate more electricity and respond faster to demand, while staying within existing annual emission limits and result in 50 additional megawatts for customers along with a 2.5 percent improvement in fuel efficiency, Consumers spokeswoman Trisha Bloembergen said.
The projected savings from the project is expected to generate enough return to pay for itself within four-and-a-half years, Bloembergen said.
“This expansion of our Zeeland facility is a powerful step forward in our commitment to reliability,” Consumers vice president of generation operations Norm Kapala said. “As demand for electricity continues to evolve, we’re taking proactive measures to ensure our customers continue to receive dependable energy around the clock - especially as our communities grow.”
The expansion will boost the plant’s capacity to 980 megawatts of power, Bloembergen said.
“This is not just an investment in power generation - it's an investment in Michigan's future,” Kapala said. “We’re building a stronger, smarter energy grid that protects our communities and supports our state’s economic growth.”
The Zeeland expansion is one of several major projects Consumers has undertaken to bolster its infrastructure to ensure reliable energy delivery. Other projects include maintaining the utility’s Jackson generating station and expanding gas-fired facilities such as the recent purchase of a generating station in Covert.
The Consumers Zeeland plant was originally built by Mirant Corporation. It began operating commercially in 2001 with an initial simple-cycle system. A second phase that brought in a combined-cycle system went online in the fall of 2002.
Consumers Energy acquired the Zeeland plant from LS Power Group in December 2007 at a cost of $517 million. LS Power Group had purchased the plant from Mirant earlier that year.
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