Belle River Project

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The Belle River Project is MPPA's largest single source of capacity and energy.  It provides energy to eleven agency members:


    Bay City
    Charlevoix
    Chelsea
    Harbor Springs
    Hart
    Holland
    Lansing
    Lowell
    Petoskey
    Portland
    Traverse City
    Zeeland

Detroit Edison operates two identical generating units at the Bell River Generating Station, which is located on the St. Clair River sixty miles north of Detroit. MPPA owns a 37.22% interest in Unit No. 1. After construction is completed on a second generating unit, MPPA will own an 18.61 percent entitlement for reliability purposes in the plant’s combined output.

In 1986, 1992, and 1993, MPPA refinanced its share of the Belle River Generating Station, reduced debt service costs, and saved its members $490 million.  MPPA also reduces cost by purchasing economic replacement energy from the wholesale market when it can obtain less expensive energy than that generated by Belle River. Plans for a phased optimization of Belle River’s maintenance and operations should provide for significantly lower costs.