TRENTON — With Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Representative Debbie Dingell, State Senator Darrin Camilleri and Trenton Mayor Steven Rzeppa in attendance, DTE Energy broke ground on the construction of a Battery Energy Storage Center located at the site of a former coal fired power plant in Trenton. The plant was retired in 2022 with the iconic red and white striped smoke stacks coming down earlier this year.
In a release, DTE noted that The Trenton Channel Energy Center will be the largest standalone battery energy storage project in the Great Lakes region when it comes online in 2026. It will have the capacity to store 880 megawatt hours of energy each cycle, which is enough to power nearly 40,000 homes. DTE is already a leader in renewable energy; this new facility will also bring us to the forefront of the energy storage space.
“Today, roughly one-third of all electricity generated by DTE comes from carbon-free resources,” said Jerry Norcia, chairman and chief executive officer, DTE Energy. “Our world-class solar, wind, and nuclear generation facilities are delivering reliable and clean electricity to our customers, and the Trenton Channel Energy Center is a significant milestone in accelerating our clean energy journey.”
The Trenton site will be the largest battery energy storage project owned by DTE energy. As noted in the release by DTE:
“The Trenton Channel Energy Center supports the goals outlined in our 2022 CleanVision Integrated Resource Plan as well as Michigan’s new statewide energy storage target. While it is our largest energy storage project, it isn’t our first. DTE already owns and operates three energy storage facilities, including the Ludington Pumped Storage Plant, a hydroelectric plant and long-duration storage facility on the shores of Lake Michigan co-owned with Consumers Energy. By 2042, we plan to have 2,950 megawatts of energy storage capacity in our portfolio, more than doubling the amount we have today.”
