MPSC announces recipients of nearly $5M in grants for renewable energy and electrification projects

News media contact: Matt Helms 517-284-8300

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The Michigan Public Service Commission announced today the recipients of almost $5 million in grants for renewable energy and electrification projects, with the 14 awardees ranging from units of local, state and Tribal governments to businesses and nonprofit organizations (Case No. U-21975).

Through Public Act 121 of 2024, the Fiscal Year 2025 budget act, the Legislature directed the MPSC to develop the grant program. The act provided a total of $4.875 million to be awarded for renewable energy and electrification infrastructure enhancement and development projects in Michigan.

The grants must go toward planning, developing, designing, acquiring, or constructing renewable energy and electrification infrastructure projects.

In awarding the grants, the Commission used the criteria outlined in the Request for Proposals, which reflected the boilerplate language around aligning with one or more of the goals of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's MI Healthy Climate Plan, prioritizing projects located within distressed areas of the state, and to the extent possible working to balance electric vehicle charging infrastructure grants between those that offer charging at or above 200 kilowatts and those that offer charging at or above 350 kilowatts, among other criteria.

The MPSC sought requests for proposals from eligible organizations in January 2025 and posted all 76 of the applications submitted, which sought a total of more than $40.5 million.

The recipients are:

• Ann Arbor Charter Township, solar and battery storage, $152,450.
• City of Kalamazoo, carport solar array, $452,652.
• City of Ypsilanti, solar on residential homes, $250,000.
• Glen Oaks Cooperative, Ypsilanti, townhomes and community center solar, $68,000.
• Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, community resiliency hub, $357,396.
• Refugee Development Center, Lansing, solar, $255,137.
• Regents of the University of Michigan, community solar planning, $271,010.
• Solar Tonic, Highland Park, community solar, LED smart poles and WiFi, $399,981.
• Superior Watershed Partnership, home energy assessment, home solar and EV charging stations, $358,074.
• The New Foster Care, Bloomfield Township, solar green roof with EMS and battery system, $1,279,000.
• Universal EV, 480 kilowatt (kW) charging station, Houghton Lake, $276,725.
• Universal EV, 480 kW charging station, Port Huron, $276,725.
• Universal EV, 240 kW charging station, Alpena, $201,125.
• Universal EV, 480 kW charging station, Madison Heights, $276,725.

The anticipated grant start date is Jan. 1, 2026. The grants are contingent upon review and approval of the State Administrative Board.

Additional information about the grants is available the MPSC's website for the program.

COMMISSION APPROVES SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ON UPPER PENINSULA POWER CO.'S INTEGRATED RESOURCE AND RENEWABLE ENERGY PLANS, REMANDS ISSUE OF FILING DATE FOR UPPER MICHIGAN ENERGY RESOURCES CORP.'S INTEGRATED RESOURCE PLAN

The MPSC took action on issues relating to the long-range resource plans for two utilities serving Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

In the first case, the Commission approved a settlement agreement on Upper Peninsula Power Co.'s (UPPCO) integrated resource plan (IRP) and renewable energy plan (REP), and the utility's Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 avoided cost proposal (Case No. U-21809). Among other measures approved, the Commission authorized increasing UPPCO's energy waste reduction target to 2.17% of the company's total electric load; maintaining the utility's company-owned hydroelectric generating fleet; maintaining its Gladstone oil-fired combustion turbine for as long as consistent with current statutory requirements; maintaining the Company's existing demand response programs as capacity resources that yield approximately 38 megawatts (MW) of capacity; maintaining the 62.5 MW Groveland Solar power purchase agreement (PPA) and the 62.5 MW company-owned Republic Solar Project; adding the 37.5 MW Groveland 1b PPA to allow the Company to comply with current and upcoming renewable energy portfolio standards; and renewing the 1 MW PPA with the Cataract hydroelectric facility. The Commission directed UPPCO to file a new IRP within five years of today's order and a new amended REP within two years. The Michigan Department of Attorney General; Citizens Utility Board of Michigan; Association of Businesses Advocating Tariff Equity; and Billerud Americas Corporation intervened in the case. MPSC Staff also participated.

Separately, the Commission remanded Upper Michigan Energy Resources Corp.'s (UMERC) application for approval of an extension on the filing date for its next IRP back to the administrative law judge (ALJ) in the matter (Case No. U-21265). In considering an amended settlement to a previous Power Supply Cost Recovery proceeding that had set the filing date for UMERC's IRP at not later than Oct. 15, 2025, the Commission asked the ALJ for a determination on a late petition to intervene in the case by Tilden Mining Company LC, which seeks to contest provisions of the proposed settlement agreement. If it's determined that Tilden's petition to intervene should be granted, the Commission directed the ALJ to adjudicate contested issues. In the meantime, the Commission will hold in abeyance the Oct. 15 IRP filing deadline to allow for parties and potential parties to seek to resolve the issue; in the absence of an approved alternative, the Commission directed UMERC to file its next IRP not later than March 15, 2026, noting that the next filing will need to reflect updated planning parameters and filing requirements the Commission expects to finalize before the end of this year.

MPSC DENIES PETITION OF REHEARING ON TRANSMISSION LINE CASE

The MPSC today denied a petition for rehearing of the Commission's approval of new electric transmission lines in the southern Lower Peninsula (Case No. U-21471). The Commission found that the petitioner, Daren A. Wisely, was not a party to the case and therefore lacks standing to seek a rehearing. The Commission in July approved Michigan Electric Transmission Co.'s application to build two new major electric transmission lines in southern Michigan designed to strengthen Michigan's power grid, reduce grid congestion and allow for more integration of renewable energy into the grid.

COMMISSION GRANTS TEMPORARY BASIC LOCAL EXCHANGE SERVICE LICENSE TO BW BROADBAND

The Commission granted BW Broadband Inc. a temporary license to provide basic local exchange phone service in the exchange currently served by Winn Telephone Co. in Isabella County (Case No. U-21934) while the company continues to pursue a permanent license to serve the same territory. The temporary license will expire when the Commission issues a final order granting or denying the application for a permanent license, or one year from today's approval, whichever occurs first. Today's approval allows the company to begin providing service to Winn's customers without interruption, at the same rates, terms and conditions of service.

MPSC APPROVES SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ON SEMCO ENERGY GAS CO. PIPELINE IN UPPER PENINSULA

The MPSC approved a settlement agreement on SEMCO Energy Gas Co.'s application to implement new facility improvement demand surcharges so that the company can recover its third-party interconnection costs related to the Keweenaw Connector Pipeline (Case No. U-21936). SEMCO and MPSC Staff in August reached a settlement agreement resolving all issues in the case. The Commission in May 2025 approved the new 30-mile, 12-inch steel natural gas transmission pipeline between Three Lakes and Baraga in Baraga County, designed to optimize gas supply deliverability, provide system redundancy and strengthen the reliability of the Upper Peninsula's natural gas system.

For information about the MPSC, visit https://www.michigan.gov/mpsc, sign up for its monthly newsletter or other listservs. Follow the MPSC on Facebook, X/Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.

To look up cases from today's meeting, access the MPSC's E-Dockets filing system.

Watch recordings of the MPSC's meetings on the MPSC's YouTube channel.

DISCLAIMER: This document was prepared to aid the public's understanding of certain matters before the Commission and is not intended to modify, supplement, or be a substitute for the Commission's orders. The Commission's orders are the official action of the Commission.

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