DTE broke ground on its state-of-the-art 1,150 MW Blue Water Energy Center on existing company property in East China Township, Mich., in August 2019. It will provide affordable and reliable power for 850,000 homes beginning in 2022. The $1 billion project, which has created hundreds of Michigan jobs, is currently nearly 40 percent complete. This is one of many steps DTE is taking to achieve its goal of reducing carbon emissions by 30 percent by the early 2020s and more than 80 percent by 2040. The natural gas-fueled combined-cycle plant will provide additional tax revenue to the local community rather than sending that revenue to out of state electricity suppliers.

Blue Water Energy Center, unanimously approved by the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC), is expected to be the most fuel-efficient power plant in Michigan. It will run on natural gas and use combined-cycle technology that captures waste heat to produce additional electricity. The plant will be 70 percent cleaner and 40 percent more efficient than the three coal-fired plants it replaces. It is a critical component of a balanced energy mix that provides 24/7, always available power generation required when the wind turbines and solar arrays are unable to produce electricity due to weather conditions or time of day.