Fast Tracking Power Reliability to Northern Michigan

In just 16 months, we delivered a 420-MW natural gas power plant that not only met Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative’s urgent capacity needs, but set a new standard for performance, flexibility and reliability. Now an award-winning facility, the Alpine Power Plant strengthens the grid and supports more than 268,000 customers across Northern Michigan.

Client

Wolverine Power Cooperative

Project Status

Completed

Quick Fact

The Alpine Power Plant is one of Michigan’s most efficient and reliable generation facilities.

To strengthen grid reliability and support more than 268,000 customers across Northern Michigan, Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative expanded its generation fleet with the addition of the 420-MW Alpine Power Plant — a natural gas-fired simple cycle facility designed for performance, flexibility and future growth.

We partnered with Wolverine to deliver a high-performance, detail-driven design that aligned with their mission of dependable, responsive power. The result was a plant that not only met expectations but exceeded them, achieving a 99.7% run rate and 98.2% start rate in 2018, followed by an impressively low 0.01% demand equivalent forced outage rate in 2019.

Run rate

99.7%

Start rate

98.2%

Homes receiving power

120,000

Customers

268,000

Flexible by design. Ready for the future.

Engineered for agility, Alpine’s rapid-start capability enables it to complement Wolverine’s growing renewable energy portfolio—providing reliable backup power to nearly 120,000 homes when it’s needed most.

Looking ahead, the plant is also conversion-ready for combined cycle operation, offering increased output and long-term adaptability as energy demands and technologies evolve.

Delivering under pressure

When Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative faced a looming capacity shortfall, time was of the essence. We provided detailed design for the power island turbines and balance of plant. With just 16 months from design to commissioning, our engineering and procurement teams hit the ground running, working in lockstep with Wolverine from day one to ensure every piece of equipment was ordered, delivered and installed on schedule.

Delivering a 420-MW plant in just 16 months was no small feat, but thanks to close collaboration, precise execution and a shared commitment to reliability, we brought Alpine online ahead of schedule and beyond expectations. It’s a project we’re incredibly proud of.

Comprehensive services provided

Our role extended far beyond design. We provided comprehensive balance of plant and procurement support, managing most of the plant’s equipment needs. As the owner’s engineer, we also led conceptual design, permitting support, turbine and GSUT specification and cost estimating, laying the groundwork for a reliable, high-performance facility.

But the project didn’t stop at the plant. We also delivered engineering, construction management and commissioning for two brand-new substations and a 138-kV line position addition to an existing substation. This was critical infrastructure that brought the Alpine Power Plant fully online.

Technical features

The project included two power trains equipped with GE Frame 7FA.05 combustion turbines and hydrogen-cooled generators. It featured air-cooled heat exchangers integrated into a closed cooling water system. The development also involved the construction of two new 138/69-kV substations and the upgrade of an existing one. One of these substations facilitates an intertie that connects Wolverine’s Alpine Power Plant to ITC Holding’s power grid.

Award-winning performance

Wolverine added the 420-MW plant to its fleet to help deliver wholesale power and transmission services to more than 268,000 customers. The Alpine Power Plant earned a POWER Magazine Top Plant Award, thanks to its extraordinary 337 combined starts in 2018 and its status as one of Michigan’s most efficient generation facilities.