Belle River and Monroe Power Plant retirements announced.

[Guest]

Maybe the U.S. Lakers will have to change back to 730s and look at export cargoes out the seaway.

[Hobieone]

I rode on a boat last summer with a raffle winner, and one of the mates was talking about the decline of Great Lakes shipping, specifically the phasing out of coal, the constant struggle of both the steel industry and aggregates. As a young lad of maybe 30, he realized that life on the lakes was going to be very limited in career options. He talked about taking his liscense to the coasts for piloting opportunities.

[Dick B]

Great question. What is the gas supply and how long will it last?

[Denny]

Needless to say by the time they close down the Belle River and the Monroe Plants, we will see less and less and fewer ships out along the rivers and the Great Lakes than we are seeing now that is for sure! As some have suggested before, surely we will start to see a few of the 1,000 footers probably get scrapped with the end of coal in sight. I agree with many as far as the Soo Locks question Is it really necessary to build a new lock with the ending of coal in sight and the iron ore trades and business not so predictable as well for the future? Granted we all know the Poe Lock along with the Mac Lock can't last forever and nothing ever truly does last forever hate to say it! The Mac Lock is I think 75 years old now give or take, while the Poe Lock is 48 years old. Each lock is now getting up there in age and at some point both will need to end up being replaced, I think that much at least most of us can agree on!

[Guest]

coal burning plants are going the way of the do-do bird. now we can all breath a lot better !

[Guest]

With the end of thermal coal shipments on the Great Lakes now in sight and the fact that the blast furnaces at steel mills along the Great Lakes are now all over 35 years in age, it's makes a person wonder if a new lock at the Soo is really going to be necessary. With an 8 to 10 year construction span, it would be finished just about the time the Belle River Power Plant closes and who knows what will be left of the steel industry at that point in time.

[Higgy]

Just means they'll be building new coal powerplants down the road when readily accessible natural gas supplies are exhausted.

[Duluthian]

Welcome news ! Scientific facts are winning the 'climate change' struggle.

Good news for the planet, but bad news for Great Lakes shipping. I'm not sure what dry bulk commodity will replace coal. Hard to imagine GLF, ASC, and ISC running the same number of ships after 2023 (when the St. Clair, Trenton, and River Rouge plants are closing).

[Guest]

Welcome news ! Scientific facts are winning the 'climate change' struggle.

[Guest]

Dte Electric announced on May 16 that the Belle River Power Plant will be retired in 2030 and the Monroe Power Plant will be retired in 2040. The company had previously announced that the St Clair, River Rouge and Trenton power plants will be retired by 2023. DTE will be coal free when the Monroe Plant is closed. All the coal-fired plants will be replaced by new natural gas fired power plants along with new renewable energy sources.