Leading Utilities Spending Big On Maintenance

LUDINGTON (AP) - Michigan's leading electrical utilities say they'll spend $800 million over 10 years to maintain and increase the capacity of their joint power storage plant on the Lake Michigan shoreline.

CMS Energy Corp. and DTE Energy Co. announced Monday that they're undertaking the work starting in 2013 at the Ludington Pumped Storage Plant. The utilities co-own the plan.

At night, the plant pumps water up 372 feet to a 27 billion-gallon storage reservoir. During the day, the water runs generators as it flows back down hill, helping to meet the higher daytime demand for electricity.

The plant opened in 1973. The companies say the work will create 100 jobs and will increase the plant's capacity from 1,872 megawatts to 2,172 megawatts.

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