Ohio Firm to Undertake Clean Energy Plant Conversion with Consumers Energy Affiliate

Babcock & Wilcox, an Akron, Ohio-based clean energy company, has been granted a limited notice to begin work on a Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) conversion of a former coal-fired power plant in Filer City, north of Ludington on the shores of Lake Michigan.

The company says it will convert the plant to use its biomass SolveBright post-combustion carbon dioxide capture technology.

B&W is working with NorthStar Clean Energy in Ann Arbor, an affiliate of Consumer Energy in Jackson, to finalize the full contract in alignment with an extensive front-end engineering and design study conducted by B&W for the project. The agreement allows B&W to begin detailed design and procurement work while the parties finalize the contract.

Full notice to proceed is expected in the fourth quarter of 2024. B&W’s full contract scope is expected to include engineering, design, and delivery of equipment to convert the plant to use biomass fuel and add carbon capture technology. Babcock & Wilcox Construction Co. will manage the construction and mechanical scope of the project.

When the conversion project is complete, the Filer City power plant will use sustainable biomass as fuel — coupled with B&W’s SolveBright process — to generate power with net-negative greenhouse gas emissions. The plant will be capable of capturing up to 550,000 tons of CO2 annually, which will be permanently stored underground.

“We are excited to work with NorthStar Clean Energy on this very important net-negative CO2 emissions project,” says Jimmy Morgan, executive vice president and COO of B&W. “By pairing sustainably sourced biomass fuel with carbon capture, our customer will be able to produce clean energy while eliminating the environmental impact of greenhouse gas emissions.

“As regulations require plant owners to significantly reduce or eliminate greenhouse gases from their coal-fired power generating assets, fuel-switching paired with CO2 capture can allow these assets to continue to provide economical and reliable baseload energy for many years to come.”

The Filer City plant is jointly owned by Tondu Corp. and NorthStar Clean Energy (a subsidiary of CMS Energy Corp.).

“NorthStar Clean Energy is excited to bring our innovative spirit and development expertise to build one of the nation’s first large-scale biomass with carbon capture and sequestration projects,” says Brian Hartmann, president of NorthStar Clean Energy. “This project marks a step-change in real-world opportunities for our customers that are working to decarbonize and meet their business goals.”

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