• The Ludington Pumped Storage Project (LPSP) is owned jointly by Consumers Energy and Detroit Edison.
• The plant can produce 1,872 megawatts of electricity.
• The plant was built between 1969 and 1973 at a cost of $327 million.
• A 27 billion gallon water reservoir 2.5 miles long, one mile wide, and 110 feet deep sits along U.S. 31 four miles south of Ludington hidden by a steep, grassy hillside.
• The Ludinton Pumped Storage Plant can generate enough electricity to serve a community of 1.3 million people.
• The six turbines can begin generating within two minutes. This means the Ludington plant can respond almost immediately to daily, weekly, and seasonal changes in energy demands.

Operations

The Ludington plant operates very simply. At night, when demand is low, the facility's six reversible turbines pump water 363 feet uphill from Lake Michigan. The water is pumped through six large pipes, or "penstocks," to an 842-acre reservoir. During the day, when demand is high, the reservoir releases water to flow downhill through the penstocks. The flowing water turns turbines in the powerhouse to make electricity.

Each of the six penstocks is 1,300 feet long and large enough for an 18-wheel semi-truck to drive through. The plant's turbines are rated at 433,000 horsepower, more than an aircraft carrier engine.

The Natural Environment

Electricity produced by water is one of the most environmentally benign forms of power generation. No fossil fuels are burned, and no pollutants are emitted. It also saves customers money. Consumers Energy customers would have paid millions of dollars more each year if the electricity produced by Ludington had come from other generators.

To protect fish during plant operations, the utilities installed a 2.5-mile-long fish barrier net that keeps alewives, yellow perch, salmon and trout away from the plant. Workers install the net in the spring and remove it in the fall. Fewer fish venture near the plant in the winter, when harsh Lake Michigan weather would damage the net.

In a joint effort with the Oceana Audubon Club, volunteers have installed 43 bluebird boxes around the plant. The boxes became homes to bluebirds, tree swallows, chickadees, and sparrows. The Wildlife Habitat Enhancement Council certified the bluebird box project and other employee wildlife habitat efforts. Volunteers also have planted pine and mountain ash trees and autumn olive bushes.

Economic Impact

Annual property taxes on the plant are $10 million. Major overhauls and plant operation benefit the Michigan economy, indirectly, by $12-16 million a year.

The plant's 36 employees also pump money -- and time -- into the local economy. Among their ranks can be found a reserve sheriff's deputy and fundraisers for local agencies. One project helped to raise money for helicopter-pad landing lights at Memorial Medical Center in Ludington.

Facts provided by Consumers Energy Corp.