DTE Energy announces commissioning of Michigan’s largest wind park, Meridian Wind
04/18/2023 - 09:00 AM
Detroit, April 18, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Represents $300 million clean energy investment, with nearly 100% of construction performed by Michigan workers Project is DTE’s first self-developed renewable energy project since 2016 DTE now generates enough clean energy to power more than 750,000 homes
DTE Energy (NYSE: DTE), Michigan’s largest producer of and investor in renewable energy, today announced that Michigan’s largest wind park, Meridian Wind, is now operational. Spanning three townships across Midland and Saginaw counties, the 225-megawatt wind park has 77 wind turbines and generates enough clean energy to power more than 78,000 homes.
DTE managed all aspects of the Park’s development, from land acquisition and permitting through construction, and will assume responsibility for the project’s ongoing operations and maintenance. Meridian Wind Park is DTE’s first self-developed renewable energy project since the development of Pinnebog Wind in 2016.
With the commissioning of Meridian Wind Park, DTE now has 20 wind parks in its renewable energy portfolio. These projects, along with the company’s 33 solar parks, generate enough clean energy to power more than 750,000 homes and represent an investment of more than $3 billion .
DTE plans to add approximately 1,000 megawatts of new renewable energy each year starting in 2025, and as part of its CleanVision Integrated Resource Plan filed last fall, the company proposed adding an additional 15,000 megawatts of clean energy by 2042, giving DTE enough clean energy to power more than 4 million homes.
“DTE is committed to aggressively growing its renewable energy portfolio as part of its plan to transition Michigan to cleaner sources of energy,” said Brian Calka, vice president, Renewable Energy Sales and Project Development, DTE. “We know this is the right thing to do for our customers, our company and our communities. In addition to bringing even more clean energy to the grid and supporting Michigan’s overall decarbonization goals, these projects help strengthen our economy by creating and sustaining jobs and by bringing millions of dollars in additional tax revenue to the communities that host this infrastructure.”
“I want to thank our friends at DTE for their partnership in getting this project completed and operational,” said JoAnn Crary, president of Saginaw Future. “We have been involved with this project since the beginning and know that it will be a catalyst for continued economic growth in our area.”
DTE also provides customers with the opportunity to participate in its renewable energy projects through its MIGreenPower voluntary renewable energy program. The program enables customers to attribute even more of their energy use to wind and solar energy beyond the 15% they already receive as part of their energy mix.
MIGreenPower is open to all DTE Electric customers – residential and business – and is among the largest voluntary renewable energy programs in the U.S. In 2022, DTE secured MIGreenPower solar energy agreements with both Ford Motor Company and Stellantis totaling more than 1,000 megawatts and making history as the largest and second largest clean energy purchases through a utility ever in the U.S., respectively.
To learn more about DTE’s clean energy plans, please visit dtecleanenergy.com .
About DTE Energy 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 company serving 2.3 million customers in Southeast Michigan and a natural gas company serving 1.3 million customers in Michigan. The DTE portfolio includes energy businesses focused on power and industrial projects, renewable natural gas, and energy marketing and trading. Through its commitment to cleaner energy, DTE Electric plans to reduce CO2 emissions by 90% and DTE Gas will plan to reduce methane emissions by more than 80% by 2040 to produce cleaner energy while keeping it safe, reliable and affordable. DTE Electric and DTE Gas aspire to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. DTE is committed to serving with its energy through volunteerism, education and employment initiatives, philanthropy and economic progress. Information about DTE is available at dteenergy.com , empoweringmichigan.com , twitter.com/dte_energy and facebook.com/dteenergy .
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