BWL natural gas plant raises environmental concerns

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) – Lansing residents are concerned about a Lansing Board of Water and Light water plant that could be emitting thousands of greenhouse gases.

One Lansing city councilman and several environmentalists say the company is not fully transparent.

BWL has been granted an emissions permit for a gas-fired power plant on Lansing’s West Side. The $160 million plant is just one part of the utility’s 10-year plan to expand solar and battery power.

“They’re known to exacerbate or cause asthma, they’re known to cause cardiovascular problems, pulmonary problems. These are serious problems,” said Heather Douglas, a board member for Capital Area Friends of the Environment.

Local environmentalists and a council member are concerned about the utility’s pledge to become carbon neutral by 2040 and a state law requirement that it generate 50% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030.

In a statement, public relations specialist Emma McGlocklin said:

“BWL’s Clean Energy Plan is designed to meet future regional load growth and our clean energy goals. BWL’s Clean Energy Plan includes solar, wind and battery storage, as well as a new Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines (RICE) plant, for which the State of Michigan recently approved a construction permit. The RICE engines are designed to turn on and off quickly to help with dips in renewable energy production that occur due to cloud cover or loss of wind speed. They are not designed to operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year like a typical gas-fired plant, but instead turn on and off for short periods when needed to ensure grid stability and to support electricity supplied from intermittent sources such as wind and solar. BWL has committed to producing 50 percent of its energy from clean energy sources by 2030 and to be carbon neutral by 2040.”

It is important to note that the BWL Board of Commissioners has been briefed on BWL’s clean energy proposals – including the need for additional generation to meet the future needs of our customers – for nearly three years, including on more than a dozen separate occasions beginning in December 2021. The All-Source RFP, which sought proposals for all types of energy resources, was discussed at the Commissioners’ November 2022 meeting, and the full results were presented to the Commissioners in July 2023. The Commissioners voted on the Clean Energy Project Bond Resolution, which included the RICE plant, on September 26, 2023.

“This is not consistent with their strategic plan, not just this strategic plan, but the previous strategic plan when they said they had no more natural gas or fossil fuel plans, that was before 2020, and then we hear now they’ve developed their plan and now they’re building this RICE plant, which is going in the wrong direction,” said Brian Jackson, Lansing City Council Member for the 4th District.

BWL said the plant would not operate like a typical gas-fired power station, but would be switched on and off for short periods of time solely to supply power to the electricity grid.

“The Water and Light Board will tell you that the RICE plant will only operate when they need to turn on the switch, and that it will be for a short time, but once they turn on that switch, they will produce so much additional methane that it will start leaking,” Councilman Jackson said.

“That has to change for obvious reasons, both because of climate change and because we need to comply with new regulatory standards in Michigan,” Douglas said.

While both say natural gas is better than burning coal, it’s something both hope the utility won’t do with taxpayer money. Ultimately, it’s up to BWL’s Board of Commissioners to decide what happens to the plant.

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