October 27, 2026 - A public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday evening as Consumers Energy looks to add a coal ash processing plant at the J.H. Campbell site in Ottawa County, Michigan.

The facility would collect coal ash and convert it into a product that’s used as a cement substitute in concrete production, according to documents released by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. It would be located east of the existing coal-fired power plant in Port Sheldon Township.

The Consumers Energy J.H. Campbell power plant on May 24, 2023.

Based on its initial assessment, EGLE says the project would comply with all applicable state and federal air quality requirements.

Consumers Energy in early 2025 announced its coal ash remediation plans at the J.H. Campbell site, which would use Reclaimed Ash Management technology from Ashcor. The company touted the environmental benefits of repurposing ash for concrete manufacturing.

“We’re doing the right thing as we make a just transition away from coal as a fuel source for electricity and that includes fulfilling our environmental responsibilities at the Campbell Generating Complex,” said Norm Kapala, vice president of generation operations for Consumers Energy, in a 2025 statement. “While our focus today is on meeting power needs in a more environmentally sustainable way, we are also committed to removing 60 years of ash deposits that will be beneficially repurposed.”

At the end of 2025, Consumers submitted an air permit application for the coal ash processing plant, but construction cannot begin until that application is officially approved.

A public comment period got underway in September and wraps up Thursday. A virtual public hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday.