DTE Energy to retire eight coal-fired generators at three plants by 2023

Company moving toward newer and cleaner energy production

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Jun 08, 2016, 11:18 ET

DETROIT, June 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- DTE Energy today announced it will retire eight coal-fired energy generating units at three sites in Michigan within the next seven years. Slated for retirement, between 2020 and 2023, are the River Rouge facility, the St. Clair facility in East China Township, and the Trenton facility. Combined, these three plants generated about 25 percent of the electricity produced by DTE in 2015 -- enough to power 900,000 homes.

The retirements are part of an overarching fundamental transformation in the way DTE will produce energy for Michigan. Earlier this year, DTE retired three coal generating units due to age and projected future costs. With today's announcement, the company will retire 11 of its 17 coal-fired units by 2023.

"The way DTE generates electricity will change as much in the next 10 years as any other period in our history. We will replace 11 aging coal-fired generating units at three facilities built in the 1950s and 1960s with a mix of newer, more modern and cleaner sources of energy generation such as wind, natural gas and solar," said DTE Energy Chairman and CEO Gerry Anderson. "DTE Energy will work with the state of Michigan on a plan that ensures electric reliability for our 2.2 million customers, places a premium on affordability, and is seamless for our employees and the communities that are home to these plants."

DTE is also working on legislation to ensure the state has adequate generating capacity as power plant closures continue in Michigan and across the broader region. This is important given that 10 percent of Michigan's power is supplied by marketers who depend upon excess supply from plants like those being retired.

The plants slated for closure served customers, communities and the state for decades, powering an era of rapid growth in Michigan, providing jobs for residents, and contributing significant revenue for municipal services and community activities. DTE is working with the communities impacted by the plant retirements, and will transition employees working at these plants into new roles at other facilities.

The company has already taken steps toward transforming its energy generation. Over the past five years, DTE has built significant renewable energy production which now accounts for 10 percent of the company's total sales. In recent months it broke ground on one of the largest solar arrays east of the Mississippi River located in Lapeer, Mich., and announced plans to develop a solar array on vacant land in Detroit. DTE's investments in renewable energy in Michigan provide enough clean energy to power more than 400,000 homes.

About DTE Energy

DTE Energy (NYSE:DTE) is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include an electric utility serving 2.2 million customers in Southeastern Michigan and a natural gas utility serving 1.2 million customers in Michigan. The DTE Energy portfolio includes non-utility energy businesses focused on power and industrial projects, natural gas pipelines, gathering and storage, and energy marketing and trading. As one of Michigan's leading corporate citizens, DTE Energy is a force for growth and prosperity in the 450 Michigan communities it serves in a variety of ways, including philanthropy, volunteerism and economic progress. For more information about DTE Energy, visit dteenergy.com; twitter.com/dte_energy and facebook.com/dteenergy.