Photo: rossograph, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
For decades, the stacks of the Presque Isle Power Plant were a fixture on Marquette’s north shore, near the park and the ore dock. The coal-fired plant was operated by We Energies and was a major source of power for the Upper Peninsula.
Why it closed
Coal plants became more expensive to run, and environmental rules got tougher. The plant also depended heavily on a few large customers, including iron mines.
To replace it, a new utility, Upper Michigan Energy Resources Corp., built natural gas plants made of reciprocating engines in Negaunee Township and near Baraga. They came online in 2019, and Presque Isle shut down that year.
Jobs and taxes
The closure cost jobs and a large piece of the local tax base. Local governments and schools had to adjust.
The site
The plant property sits on valuable lakefront land next to Presque Isle Park. Demolition and cleanup have opened questions about what should go there next.
For many residents, the change is visible from the shoreline. The view of the plant’s stacks, once part of every sunset photo from the north side, has changed.
