- The Lansing Board of Water & Light got the green light to begin building a new natural gas plant in Delta Township
- One BWL official says the future RICE plant will help support a higher demand of energy from a new battery plant
- Video shows the site of the upcoming plant with a BWL official explaining its use while neighbors remain skeptical
Ever since a coal-fired plant at the Erickson Power Station in Delta Township closed in 2022 Marta Kermiet, a Lansing resident living with asthma, has been able to breathe easier.
"I can't think of another reason but that the air quality is better," Kermiet said.
But Kermiet is now worried about a new natural gas plant coming to the site of the old coal-fired plant.
"The thought that we're now dealing with new air pollutants is really frustrating," Kermiet said.
The Lansing Board of Water & Light is leading the construction of a $171 million reciprocating internal combustion engines (RICE) plant. The utility received an air quality approval from the state last month which will allow them to begin planning and construction.
The RICE plant is designed to be an intermittent resource that supports renewable energy like solar and wind according to Anna Hunie, Lansing BWL's manager of energy planning and decarbonization.
RICE plants act as generators for renewable energy when conditions aren't favorable to solar or wind energy. For example, a RICE plant would activate during a cloudy day when solar energy takes a hit.
"Those RICE plants can turn on instantly if needed to help support grid reliability and make sure that our residential and commercial customers are still receiving the energy that they need," Hunie said.
Michigan Environmental Protection Agency officials estimate that the plant could produce more than 550,000 tons of greenhouse gases every year if it runs continuously.
Hunie says the utility plans to use the plant when needed.
"We had to perform the permit application as if we were operating those plants continously," Hunie said. "The numbers in the permit are not reflective of how the plant will operate."
The plant's construction comes as the utility anticipates a 30% increase in energy demand once the Ultium Cells battery plant in Lansing becomes operational by early 2025.
WATCH: ULTIUM CELLS HOST JOB FAIR FOR NEW EV BATTERY PLANT IN LANSING
Jon Kermiet is still unconvinced that the new plant is the best option to help Michigan reach its goal of 60% renewable energy by 2030. Kermiet hopes BWL can enact more public comment with the community and experts.
"[RICE plants] are cleaner than coal but they're certainly not clean energy," Kermiet said.
PHOTO: MARTA & JON KERMIET SPEAK ABOUT THEIR CONCERNS OVER A NEW NATURAL GAS PLANT BEING BUILT IN DELTA TOWNSHIP
BWL currently operates two natural gas plants: one at their headquarters in REO Town and the other at the Delta Energy Plant adjacent to where the third location will be constructed.
Hunie says BWL met all the environmental requirements to earn its air quality permit. She added that BWL understands that the natural gas plants will emit greenhouse gases.
Hunie says BWL's goal is to provide affordable, clean and reliable energy and that natural gas is a reliable option until they can find other reliable, renewable resources to use.
"With the technologies available, that requires resource diversity that includes both natural gas and renewable [energy]," Hunie said.
But Marta Kermiet is still unsettled about the potential health impacts it could have on her neighborhood.
"BWL I think has jumped the gun," Kermiet said. "They [should] just pause and make sure that there's not a better way to do this."
Construction on the new plant is set to begin within the next year with plans to open by 2026.
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