Consumers Energy investing $200 million in Freedom compressor station

Construction at the Consumer Energy Freedom Compressor Station.

If you have driven Pleasant Lake Rd past the lake recently it would have been impossible for you to miss the construction happening on Consumers Energy’s Freedom Compressor Station.

Consumers has initiated a more than $200 million investment to upgrade the Compressor Station, which has been in operation since 1948 and is a key point for natural gas imports coming into the system. There are eleven full-time operational employees at the Freedom Compressor Station, and this will remain the same after the upgrade is complete.

Consumers Energy explained that the upgrade project is being conducted in phases to ensure that natural gas compression can continue as the station is upgraded. The first phase of the project started construction in 2016 and resulted in installation of two temporary compression units to serve as backup and ensure natural gas flows through the station. The second phase of the project started construction in 2018 and will be complete, including restoration activities, in 2022. Phase 2 of the project includes the shutdown and removal of the existing circa-1948 equipment. At the peak of construction activities, more than 250 construction personnel will be onsite at the project.

According to the Pleasant Lake Property Owners Association, some Freedom Township residents have expressed concerns about noise levels, vibrations, light issues, lake water use, and other issues associated with the compressor station and that concerns have increased with the recent large-scale construction.

Representatives from Consumers Energy will be at Freedom Township’s April 9th, 8 pm board meeting held at the Freedom Township Hall, 11508 Pleasant Lake Road. Along with member’s of the township’s Safety Commission, they will be discussing a new two-way communications plan for township residents and educating the residents on the emergency plan. Washtenaw Emergency Services representatives will be also present. Residents are encouraged to attend.

Consumers Energy states, “Upon completion of the project, [the Freedom Station] will include five new natural gas compressors installed in a building specifically designed to minimize sound from the engines, and will provide reliable, cost-effective natural gas to Michigan for years to come.”

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.