Consumers Energy closed two of its coal plants in Essexville on Wednesday. The D.E. Karn 1 and 2 plants had operated for 64 years.
The decommissioning of the Bay County facilities puts Consumers Energy one step closer to closing all of its coal plants by 2025 - 15 years sooner than previously planned.
The company plans to close its last remaining coal facility, J.H. Cambell Generating Plant in Ottawa County, in May of 2025.
The occasion was commemorated by a ceremonial lowering of the facilities’ flag and an event attended by multiple generations of employees and retirees, union leadership, community members, including the Karn family, and representatives from Consumers Energy.
The plants were named after former Consumers Energy President Dan E. Karn.
“The Karn plant has been woven into the fabric of our daily lives in the bay community,” said LeeRoy Wells Jr., Consumers Energy’s senior vice president of operations. “We are deeply grateful to the hundreds of employees who helped make Karn 1 and 2 an important part of our energy story here in Michigan.”
Wells emphasized the company's commitment to helping employees of the decommissioned plants, whether they choose to move into new or similar roles at other facilities or to retire. A total of 26 employees who were retiring as the plant closed were honored at the June 14 ceremony.
“The legacy of their work and these plants continues, as it will now serve as a reminder of what we are capable of accomplishing together when we prioritize doing what is right for our customers and for the planet,” said Wells.
Consumers closed seven other coal plants in Michigan in 2016:
• B.C. Cobb 4 and 5, Muskegon, 320 megawatts (MW).
• J.C.Weadock 7 and 8, Hampton Township (Bay County), 310 MW.
• J.R. Whiting 1, 2 and 3, Luna Pier (Monroe County), 328 MW.
“Our mission is to leave it better than we found it,” said Tim Sparks, Consumers Energy’s Vice President of Electric Supply. “We’ve done that as each of our coal plants have closed, and we’re going to do it here as well.”
Sparks said Consumers has plans for the Karn site, including building an 85 megawatt solar facility on the site by the end of 2026.
“This is a potential site for maybe some batteries in the future. We’re also looking at some industry sitting here as well because it is a pretty large site,” said Sparks. “So we’re looking at all aspects of what the site might be good for in the future.”
Two additional generating units on the grounds, Karn 3 and 4, will continue to operate on natural gas and oil through 2031 as the company builds its renewable energy portfolio. Consumers Energy says it will continue making progress toward the goal of having 90% of its energy coming from renewable sources by 2040.
“Consumers Energy has worked for years to carry out this transition safely and efficiently, not only for our customers, but for our employees, for the land, and for the community that Karn has been a part of for years,” said Tonya Berry, Consumers Energy’s senior vice president of transformation and engineering. “Leadership in this transition means not doing what is easiest or cheapest, but doing what is right, and we intend to leave this space better than we found it.”