Alternative Energy

SWP Offshore 3 Year Feasibility Study

The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) recently announced two state grants (one
in the Lower Peninsula and one in the Upper Peninsula) for multi-year studies to assess community support and environmental suitability for offshore wind development in Michigan.

Who? 

The Superior Watershed Partnership (SWP) in cooperation with Northern Michigan University
(NMU) and Michigan Technological University (MTU) will coordinate the Upper Peninsula study which includes two potential sites in Lake Michigan (one off of Delta County and one off of Mackinac County).

Where? 

Study areas are located approximately 6-20 miles from shore.

How?

The Upper Peninsula project is designed to encourage public input in every phase and
to incorporate public recommendations into the final study (2012). Starting in April, 2010
the SWP in cooperation with the Great Lakes Commission will begin contacting local units of
government, landowners and community organizations. Public engagement opportunities
will include local meetings, surveys, focus groups, community workshops and more.
The Upper Peninsula projectwill include these five broad categories;public engagement,environmental studies,wind studies, transmission studies and financial studies.

Partners.....

Other project partners include Mackinaw Power, Tetra Tech and AWS True Wind. The grants
are part of the Low Income and Energy Efficiency Fund, which provides shut-off and other protection for low income customers and promotes energy efficiency by all customer classes. The MPSC is an agency within the Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth.

Click here to view the Offshore Project brochure.