GRAND HAVEN, Mich. - Grand Haven is going to shut down their Sims coal burning power plant in June 2020.
The decision to decommission the plant was made at a city council meeting Monday night, Nov. 19. The Sims Power Plant is obsolete, and the coal it burns sends pollution into the atmosphere.
Currently it is not even needed because the Grand Haven Board of Light and Power buys cheaper electricity from the national grid.
“Right now, purchase power is significantly cheaper than generating power,” explained BLP Vice Chairman Gerry Witherell.
But to make sure they can produce their own electricity in the future the Grand Haven BLP will replace Sims with some natural gas generators.
“Thirty-six megawatts,” said Witherell. “Three units of 12. They run independently, so if you only want to run 12 you can do that.”
“We have produced our own power for many, many years,” said Grand Haven Mayor Geri McCaleb. “We want to continue to do that.”
The BLP will place the new natural gas engines on the same site now occupied by the Sims Power Plant.
“When the new plant is builtm it will have the capability of producing the power for our community—should it be necessary,” said Witherell. “We will not necessarily run them unless it is financially feasible.”
There will be three years between the time Sims is shut down and the new natural gas engines are built, when the Grand Haven Board of Light and Power will not be able to generate their own electricity and will purchase all the power they provide for 14,000 customers. The board will sell bonds to pay for the new generators and a pair of boilers to heat water for the city's snow melt system.
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