WE Energies replenishes coal supply through Marquette BLP

WE Energies’ Presque Isle Power Plant is running dangerously low on coal.

The company says it usually receives its first shipment of the season by mid-March, but Lake Superior’s substantial ice cover has prevented that from happening.

U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers are expected to make their way through the area in the next week or so, but until then WE Energies will replenish it’s coal supply through an alternative source.

The Marquette Board of Light and Power has been tapped for the job. WE will purchase reserve coal from the BLP’s south side Power Plant, and haul it back with 90 to 100 additional trucks.

The increased traffic will head up the M-28/US-41 corridor to Wright Street, then on to Sugar Loaf Avenue, before making its way down 550 to the rear access point at Presque Isle.

The duration of these extreme measures will be dependent on Coast Guard’s ability to open shipping lanes.