DETROIT, Mich, November 7, 2001 — Wisconsin Energy Corp. today announced that its Minergy Detroit LLC subsidiary and the City of Detroit have signed final contractual agreements that, along with receipt of the state air quality permit, pave the way for construction of the $150 million Clear Horizons wastewater solids recycling facility in Detroit.
The facility will use a patented technology to recycle 500 to 600 dry tons per day of wastewater solids into a glass aggregate product, used in manufacturing concrete additives, ceramic floor tiles and industrial abrasives. The plant also will produce about 25 megawatts of electricity.
Construction is expected to start in the spring of 2002 and require about 300 workers. The wastewater solids recycling facility is expected to begin operation in early 2004 and employ 40 people.
The Clear Horizons plant will be built on a brownfield site in the City of Detroit, alongside the Detroit River in the Delray area. Minergy has a contract calling for the plant to accept city wastewater solids for 15 years.
"This important day could not have been possible without extraordinary cooperation by the City of Detroit and the State of Michigan," said Wally Kunicki, vice president and general manager of Minergy and vice president of Wisconsin Energy. "This facility will reduce air pollution in the region and help address southeast Michigan's growing wastewater solids disposal problems in an environmentally sensitive way for years to come."
The plant has received strong support from citizens in the Delray area and Detroit development officials. The Clear Horizons recycling facility will reduce air pollution by 72 percent when compared with the existing wastewater solids incineration facility, with major reductions in dioxin, mercury and other pollutants.
Minergy Corp. is a non-utility subsidiary of Wisconsin Energy Corp., focusing on development and acquisition of recycling and renewable energy projects. To learn more about Minergy and the Detroit facility, visit www.minergy.com.
Wisconsin Energy Corporation is a Milwaukee-based holding company with subsidiaries in utility and non-utility businesses. The company serves more than one million electric customers in Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula and 960,000 natural gas customers in Wisconsin through its utility subsidiaries - Wisconsin Electric, Wisconsin Gas and Edison Sault Electric. Its non-utility subsidiaries include energy development, pump manufacturing, recycling and renewable energy, and real estate businesses. Visit the Web site at www.WisconsinEnergy.com.
