Presque Isle Power Plant
Encyclopedia
The Presque Isle Power Plant is an electric generating plant located at Marquette, Michigan
, on the shore of Lake Superior
. The plant has 9 generating units with a total net generating capacity of 617 megawatts. This plant has two smokestacks 450 feet (137.2 m) in height and was built in 1955 by Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company. Units 1 and 2 were retired on January 1, 2007. Units 3 and 4 were retired on October 1, 2009. Units 5 through 9 went into service between 1975 and 1979.
This plant generates 90% of the Upper Peninsula's electricity and 12% of the electricity in the Wisconsin Energy system. Half of the plants generating capacity goes to the Empire and Tilden iron ore mines on the nearby Marquette Iron Range
.
The plant was sold to UPPCO in the early 1980s as Cleveland-Cliffs struggled, and it is now owned by Wisconsin Energy. The plant is connected to the grid by numerous 138-kilovolt transmission lines and one 345-kilovolt line known as the Presque Isle–Plains–Morgan line which runs from Marquette southwest to Plains Substation near Iron Mountain
and south to the North Appleton Substation just outside of Appleton, Wisconsin
, where it ties into numerous other 345-kilovolt lines going south towards Milwaukee and west towards Wausau, Wisconsin
, and St. Paul, Minnesota.
In 2006, the plant incorporated a new process for capturing and reducing mercury
emissions.
Marquette, Michigan
Marquette is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Marquette County. The population was 21,355 at the 2010 census, making it the most populated city of the Upper Peninsula. Marquette is a major port on Lake Superior, primarily for shipping iron ore and is the home of Northern...
, on the shore of Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
. The plant has 9 generating units with a total net generating capacity of 617 megawatts. This plant has two smokestacks 450 feet (137.2 m) in height and was built in 1955 by Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company. Units 1 and 2 were retired on January 1, 2007. Units 3 and 4 were retired on October 1, 2009. Units 5 through 9 went into service between 1975 and 1979.
This plant generates 90% of the Upper Peninsula's electricity and 12% of the electricity in the Wisconsin Energy system. Half of the plants generating capacity goes to the Empire and Tilden iron ore mines on the nearby Marquette Iron Range
Marquette Iron Range
The Marquette Iron Range is a deposit of iron ore located in Marquette County, Michigan, largely in and around the towns of Ishpeming and Negaunee. It is a smaller counterpart of Minnesota's Mesabi Range. The iron ore of the Marquette Range has been mined continuously from 1847 until the present...
.
The plant was sold to UPPCO in the early 1980s as Cleveland-Cliffs struggled, and it is now owned by Wisconsin Energy. The plant is connected to the grid by numerous 138-kilovolt transmission lines and one 345-kilovolt line known as the Presque Isle–Plains–Morgan line which runs from Marquette southwest to Plains Substation near Iron Mountain
Iron Mountain, Michigan
Iron Mountain is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 8,154. It is the county seat of Dickinson County, in the state's Upper Peninsula....
and south to the North Appleton Substation just outside of Appleton, Wisconsin
Appleton, Wisconsin
Appleton is a city in Outagamie, Calumet, and Winnebago Counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is situated on the Fox River, 30 miles southwest of Green Bay and 100 miles north of Milwaukee. Appleton is the county seat of Outagamie County. The population was 78,086 at the 2010 census...
, where it ties into numerous other 345-kilovolt lines going south towards Milwaukee and west towards Wausau, Wisconsin
Wausau, Wisconsin
Wausau is a city in and the county seat of Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. The Wisconsin River divides the city. The city is adjacent to the town of Wausau.According to the 2000 census, Wausau had a population of 38,426 people...
, and St. Paul, Minnesota.
In 2006, the plant incorporated a new process for capturing and reducing mercury
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
emissions.