Fire Breaks Out at Biomass Energy Plant in Michigan

Operations were paused at the Cadillac Renewable Energy plant in Cadillac, MI after a fire last Sunday morning, the facility’s owner, Atlantic Power Corporation announced in a release Monday. 

Fire crews responded to the Miltner Street power generation plant at about 2 a.m., and arrived to find heavy fire in the facility, UpNorthLive.com reported. Officials told the news website that three workers inside the plant evacuated the building unharmed. A sprinkler system in the plant activated during the incident and the flames were doused by local firefighters, according to Cadillac’s parent company. 

“The cause of the fire, extent of damage, and time required to repair the facility are unknown at this time. The company is assessing the extent of the damage to the facility and will be reviewing the incident with its insurance carriers,” Atlantic Power stated in the release. 

The 40MW Cadillac biomass energy plant opened in 1993. Atlantic Power purchased the facility in December 2010 and sells power generated at the site to Consumers Energy, which has a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Atlantic Power through June 2028. 

Once the company determines the extent of damages, Atlantic Power said it plans to release a further update on its third quarter 2019 financial results and when the plant will restart operations.

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