Amid Transition to Clean Energy, Utilities Tackle Water Conservation

Mar 13, 2018 11:05 AM ET
The Holland Energy Park, a natural gas plant shown here under construction, helps the Holland Board of Public Works to save 11 billion gallons per year compared to the former coal-fired James De Young plant. Photo courtesy of mibiz.com

As published on MiBiz.com

While closing coal-fired power plants is often lauded for improving air quality, it’s also saving billions of gallons of water a year from being withdrawn from the Great Lakes and local resources.

Last month, Jackson-based Consumers Energy pledged to save another billion gallons of water over the next five years beyond the savings seen by closing seven coal plants in 2016. While the goal is part of the company’s broader clean energy and environmental pledge over the next two decades, it also highlights an overlooked aspect of the energy sector: The industry is a major consumer of water.

Read the full article on MiBiz.com.