Lansing Board of Water & Light
| File:Lansing Board of Water & Light.svg | |
| Industry | Public utility |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1885 |
| Headquarters | Lansing, Michigan, U.S. |
Key people | Dick Peffley, General Manager |
| Products | Electricity (510 megawatts), Water, Steam, Chilled Water |
| Revenue | $348,122,943 (FY 2014) |
| $41,304,739 (FY 2014) | |
| $2,792,527 (FY 2014) | |
| Total assets | $1,172,041,452.87 (FY 2014) |
| Total equity | $2,792,529.72 (FY 2014) |
| Website | www |
The Lansing Board of Water & Light operates as a municipally owned utility providing services to Lansing, East Lansing, and neighboring townships such as Delta, Delhi, Meridian, and DeWitt. It delivers electricity, water, steam, and chilled water and holds the distinction of being Michigan’s largest publicly owned utility.
History
Founded in 1885 with an initial $100,000 bond aimed at constructing a drinking water and fire protection system, the utility later broadened its offerings by adding electrical service in 1892 and steam heating in 1919.
Governance
An eight-member commission governs the utility; members are appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the city council. The board includes one representative from each of Lansing’s four wards along with four members serving at-large. Since 2014, three additional non-voting advisory representatives have been included to represent East Lansing and the townships of Delta and Meridian.
System Information
The Lansing Board of Water & Light (BWL) maintains an electrical generation capacity totaling 510 megawatts. Its transmission system operates at 138,000 volts. Distribution voltages are set at 13,200/7,620Y, 8,320/4,800Y, and 4,160/2,400Y.
Water is pumped daily at an average rate near 24 million gallons from two treatment plants through an extensive network of approximately 775 miles of water mains. Peak daily consumption can reach up to 33 million gallons with hourly peaks extending to 42 million gallons. The system’s raw water supply is drawn exclusively from 124 wells throughout the Lansing region. Unlike many utilities, BWL does not utilize elevated water storage tanks but relies solely on pumping to maintain pressure.
Water Utility
BWL stands out by sourcing all its water exclusively from wells tapping into the Saginaw Aquifer, a vast underground reservoir estimated to contain about four cubic miles of water beneath a 550-square-mile area. Raw water is treated at two conditioning facilities: the John Dye plant located downtown and the Wise Road plant situated southwest of Lansing. These plants effectively reduce water hardness from approximately 411 parts per million down to about 85 ppm before applying chlorination and fluoridation processes for safe distribution.
At the John Dye facility, two pumping stations draw treated water from three ground-level storage tanks. The Dye station supplies northern regions including Dewitt, Bath, and Watertown Townships as well as westward areas such as Delta Township along with local distribution networks. The Cedar Street station provides additional capacity during times of high demand. Meanwhile, Wise Road pumps directly into the system serving Windsor, Delhi, and Alaiedon Townships.
Serving roughly 56,000 retail customers—comprising around 48,000 residential accounts and approximately 7,000 commercial clients along with industrial users—BWL also sells water wholesale to distribution systems in Delta and Meridian Townships.
Electric Utility
As of 2023, LBWL provides services to 86,789 residential customers along with 12,368 commercial and industrial accounts, amounting to a total customer base of 99,137.
Former facilities
The Otto E. Eckert Station, a coal-powered plant located in downtown Lansing on the Grand River near the site of former General Motors assembly operations, was retired in 2020. Originally constructed in 1922–23 and expanded throughout its operational life, this facility had a generating capacity of 351 MW using coal sourced from Wyoming's Powder River Basin. The plant was distinguished by its three smokestacks—nicknamed Wynken, Blynken, and Nod—that could be seen from miles away. Its shutdown was expedited starting in December 2017.
From 1973 until its closure in 2022, the Claud R. Erickson Station in Delta Township operated a coal-fired unit with a capacity of 159 MW. In late 2017, LBWL announced plans to invest $500 million to replace this plant with a natural gas-fired facility capable of producing 250 MW. The new Delta Energy Park commenced operations in March 2022 on the same location and now offers a capacity of 260 MW.
The Ottawa Street Station in downtown Lansing was active from 1940 until it was decommissioned in 1992 with a capacity of 25 MW. After partial conversion into a water chiller facility, the property was sold in 2007 to Accident Fund Insurance Company and transformed into their corporate headquarters; during this redevelopment, the original smokestack was removed.
Current facilities
To succeed the aging Eckert Station, LBWL inaugurated the REO Town Cogeneration Plant on July 1, 2013. Situated in Lansing’s REO Town neighborhood, this eight-story cogeneration complex encompasses 160,000 square feet and generates up to 100 megawatts by combusting natural gas for both electricity and steam production. The building also serves as LBWL’s headquarters and contains a refurbished Grand Trunk Western Railroad depot utilized for board meetings and special events.
In order to comply with Michigan’s mandate requiring utilities to source at least 10% renewable energy by 2015, LBWL acquired power through purchase agreements alongside developing new renewable assets. This includes contracting for 19.2 MW generated by eight wind turbines at the Beebe Wind Farm located in Gratiot County. The utility owns the Moores Park hydroelectric facility on the Grand River with a capacity of 0.5 MW and operates a Cedar Street Solar Array producing approximately 0.16 MW. Additional renewable generation is sourced from the Tower/Kleber Hydro plant near Cheboygan as well as the Granger Landfill Energy project. LBWL has also issued requests for proposals targeting an extra 20 MW of solar power capacity.
During periods of peak electricity demand, LBWL supplements its supply by purchasing power from the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO). The utility maintains two high-voltage (138 kV) interconnections with Consumers Energy/METC through its Jolly Road substation located in south Lansing. Furthermore, LBWL holds partial ownership interest in Detroit Edison’s Belle River Power Plant near St. Clair, Michigan.
Generation mix
For the fiscal year ending June 2023, LBWL obtained 464 GWh from renewable sources, accounting for approximately 16% of its total energy consumption of 2,883 GWh. In that year, the utility revealed plans to broaden its clean energy portfolio by adding battery storage capacity totaling 160 MW, along with an additional 65 MW of solar power and 433 MW of wind generation by the year 2027. Supporting these initiatives, the Michigan Public Service Commission awarded $12 million toward installing a combined system consisting of 10 MW solar panels and battery storage capable of delivering 40 MW (160 MWh) at the Delta Energy Park.
Although LBWL asserts it met its target of achieving 30% clean energy by 2020, the criteria used remain ambiguous—particularly as natural gas is categorized as “clean” despite contributing carbon dioxide emissions. This classification has drawn criticism and accusations that the utility’s environmental claims may constitute greenwashing.
See also
References