MPSC Approves $50 Million In Low-Carbon Energy Infrastructure Grants

LANSING – The Michigan Public Service Commission approved nearly $50 million in state funds for low-carbon energy infrastructure enhancement and development projects across the state, supporting projects including grid-scale energy storage, community solar, electric vehicle infrastructure, renewable natural gas and expansion of natural gas to areas now reliant on propane.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Legislature, in Public Act 53 of 2022 and Public Act 166 of 2022, appropriated $50 million for grants for businesses, nonprofit organizations and local governments to develop, acquire or build low-carbon energy facilities that may include natural gas, combined heat and power or renewable natural gas facilities as well as electrification programs.

Grant winners announced are:

• City of Lansing solar project, $1 million.
• City of Traverse City solar and battery energy storage project, $1,685,479.
• Consumers Energy Co. Swisslane Farm renewable natural gas project, $5,633,745.
• Consumers Energy TDI Farm renewable natural gas project, $5,392,437.
• DTE Gas Co. Benzie, Manistee and Wexford counties natural gas expansion project (Mesick-Buckley only), $7,285,129.
• Genesee County Drain Commission construction of new digesters at Ragnone Wastewater Treatment Plant, $5 million.
• Hope Network solar and battery storage project, $3,655,547.
• Kent County Bioenergy Facility at the Kent County Sustainable Business Park project, $5 million.
• Lansing Board of Water and Light grid-scale battery energy storage system and ground-mounted solar system project, $12 million.
• 5 Lakes Energy infrastructure planning toolkit project, $1,247,796.
• Kalamazoo Nature Center EV infrastructure planning project, $265,000.
• Midland Cogeneration Venture carbon capture and sequestration feed feasibility study, $771,360.
• Public Sector Consultants planning for regional community solar for Lansing-area communities project, $151,340.
• Shelby Charter Township EV infrastructure planning project, $158,800.
• Slipstream low carbon energy planning for Native Nations project, $749,990.

Additional details are available at the MPSC’s webpage on the grant program. More detailed information is available about grant proposals totaling $183 million that were initially posted in January in response to a request for proposals the Commission issued Sept. 30, 2022, after a public input process.

Among other conditions, the legislation required winning grants to support reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, be supported by a cost-benefit analysis, facilitate the largest number of customers achieving access to low carbon energy facilities at the lowest total cost, and reduce customer energy cost burdens.

The total amount of low carbon EIED grants awarded is $49,996,623. The anticipated grant start date is July 3, 2023. All grants are contingent on review and approval of the State Administrative Board.