The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) has approved utility Consumers Energy’s plan to end coal use by 2025.
Under the proposed plan, which was first brought up in June 2021, the Michigan utility will deploy 8GW of solar power by 2040 to cover the closure of three coal plants by 2025, 15 years earlier than previously planned.
The blueprint aims to ensure that by 2040, 90% of the utility’s electricity capacity comes from clean sources, of which half will be from solar PV.
The utility’s Clean Energy Plan also covers the installation of energy storage, with 75MW by 2027 before scaling up to 550MW by 2040.
Other measures include the purchase of a gas-fired power plant and the purchase of 700MW of electric capacity from a variety of sources through a request for proposal (RFP).
Garrick Rochow, president and CEO at Consumers Energy, said: “We’re building a dramatically different energy landscape in which customers won’t have to choose between protecting the planet and their pocketbooks. We will do both while making sure our state has the reliable power it needs.”