NorthStar Clean Energy to build 25-MW solar project for Michigan cement plant
Holcim US has announced a major clean energy investment in Northeast Michigan with a new partnership to bring the company’s largest solar project in the Midwest to its cement plant in Alpena. When combined with existing renewable energy efforts, the 25-MW solar array will help the plant self-generate 75% of its electricity needs with green energy, an important step toward fulfilling Holcim’s promise to power all of its US operations with 100% renewable energy. direction. energy until 2030
“The solar project on Holcim’s 100-acre site in Alpena is another powerful example of the investment we are making to urgently address sustainability,” said Holcim’s VP of Procurement Atl Martinez. “With the new initiatives launched in the US, Holcim’s momentum to transform our operations, reduce our carbon footprint and achieve net zero has never been greater.”
The announcement follows the recent opening of an innovative tire-derived fuel (TDF) facility at the Alpena plant. Holcim launched the $7.4 million initiative to safely and cleanly convert 22,000 tons of tires annually into energy to fuel the plant. The facility, supported by the state of Michigan, will allow the plant to sustainably reduce its reliance on fossil fuels and other natural resources while diverting tires from landfills and streams.
On the horizon, the plant plans to upgrade its dock, which is used to move materials on the Great Lakes. Funded in part through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration’s Small Shipyard Grant Program, the wharf improvements will accommodate larger ships, resulting in fewer freight trips and reduced CO2 emissions from lake transportation.
The array will be optimized for maximum energy output with fixed-tilt high-efficiency bifacial solar panels that generate energy from both the front and back sides.
NorthStar Clean Energy will implement the solar solution, and Holcim is expected to receive approximately 35,000 MWh of clean energy annually from the project under a solar equipment maintenance agreement for a minimum term of 20 years.
The construction of the renewable energy system will begin this year. Commercial operations are expected to begin in December 2024.
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