DETROIT – DTE Energy announced that its Pine River wind park, located in Gratiot and Isabella counties, has gone operational and is providing enough clean energy to power more than 54,000 homes.
With 65 turbines, Pine River is the largest operating wind park in Michigan as well as DTE’s most cost-effective and cost-efficient wind project to date.
The park will offset nearly 300,000 metric tons of CO2 annually – the greenhouse gas equivalent of taking more than 63,000 cars off the road for a year* – and represents a significant step toward the company’s goals of reducing carbon emissions by more than 80 percent by 2050 and reaching 50 percent clean energy through renewables and energy efficiency by 2030.
“DTE was among the first energy companies in the nation to announce a broad sustainability initiative consistent with what scientists say is necessary to address climate change globally and do it in a way that maintains affordability and reliability for our customers,” said Gerry Anderson, chairman and CEO, DTE Energy.
“Bringing Pine River online is helping us meet the commitment we’ve made to our customers while contributing to the health of Michigan’s economy. It is our next step in continuing the fundamental transformation of the way we generate power in Michigan, while maintaining our focus on reliability and affordability.”
Since 2009, DTE has driven investments of more than $2.8 billion in renewable energy, and the company will invest an additional $2 billion in renewables over the next five years as it more than doubles its capacity in wind and solar. By 2022, DTE will generate enough energy from renewable resources to power more than 800,000 homes.
DTE wind projects provide more than clean energy for DTE customers – they also provide a stable source of income for landowners who have turbines on their property, jobs that help young people stay in the community, and tax revenue that can be used to support improvements in roads, schools, emergency services and other vital community needs. Greater Gratiot Development, Inc. reports that between 2012-2016, the county received more than $30 million in tax revenue from its wind parks.
Pine River Township Supervisor Kevin Beeson not only appreciates the economic benefits the new wind park is bringing to his community, he also recognizes the project’s environmental benefits as a gift to future generations. “It’s a clean way to make energy, and that’s a nice legacy to leave behind,” he said.
DTE will bring online more than 1,000 additional megawatts of wind and solar by 2022. DTE’s renewable energy portfolio includes 14 wind parks and 31 solar arrays, all located in Michigan.
To learn more about DTE’s long-term carbon reduction goal, please visit Journeyto80.com.
Invenergy developed and constructed the project for DTE. The project supported 250 jobs during construction drawing from 22 different Michigan companies.
