Section 10(r) of Michigan PA 141 of 2000 requires electricity suppliers to disclose customer information related to the suppliers' fuel mix and emissions and requires that electric suppliers use a regional average fuel mix and emissions data when the fuel mix cannot otherwise be determined, along with the regional electric generation fuel mix, emissions, and nuclear waste characteristics. The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) in its June 5, 2001 order, in Case No. U-12487, directed Commission Staff to calculate and make available the regional electricity generation and environmental characteristics to be used by all of Michigan's generation providers. The methods that Staff is using to prepare the regional data are outlined below.

Reporting by MPSC Staff

The MPSC Staff will update the regional generation characteristics information once a year. The update will be completed and made available on the MPSC Web site by November 1 of each year.

Since 2006, the EIA has revised the data tables it offers, which has necessitated a revision to the methods for calculating regional electric generation fueld mix emissions. The method for calculating regional nuclear waste has not changed from prior years.

Fuel Sources, Emissions, and Nuclear Waste Data Sources

Data on the kilowatt-hour (kWh) generation by fuel source is published in the Energy Information Administration's (EIA), Electric Power Monthly (DOE/EIA-906). The publication is available on the EIA Web site at:

Specifically, the Table 1.6.B called, "Net Generation by State by Sector, Year-to-Date" at (http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electriccity/epm/table1_6_b.html) show the sources for total generation by state for all sectors, and gives a year-to-date comparison for current year and previous year. Likewise, Tables 1.7.B through 1.13.B and 1.15.B and 1.16.B provide year-to-date breakdowns by fuel source (coal, natural gas, nuclear, renewables..). From Table 1.6.B, use the % difference in total generation for current year versus previous year, as a basis to prorate the most recently available annual totals for each fuel source type given in the table indicated below.

In most cases, the most recently available annual total will lag by one to two years. The table above refers to "Other Energy Sources" and "Other Renewable Energy". Other Energy Sources include batteries, chemicals, hydrogen, pitch, purchased steam, sulfeur, and miscellaneous technologies.
A description of Other Renewable Energy is published in EIA's publication, "Renewable Energy Annual, 2004 Edition" located at:

This data is calendar year data and was most recently updated for 2003 data in Table 13, entitled "Reneable Electiricty Net Generation by Census Division and Energy Source, 2003" at ( http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epm/epm_sum.html). The next update is scheduled for June 2007. Data for the report and Table 13 is collected by EIA's, EIA-906, "Monthly Power Plan Report," and EIA-906, "Combined Heat & Power Report," and predecessor forms.

Emissions (sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and carbon dioxide) data is reported in each edition of EIA forms EIA-767, "Steam-Electric Plant Operation and Design Report," submitted by utility and non-utility generators, and EIA-906, "Monthly Power Plan Report" and can be found at:

The data is reported annually and can be found at the bottom of this page, in a report called, "US Electric Power Industry Esitmated Emissions by State" at ( http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epa/emission_state.xls). The data lags by one to two years.

Nuclear waste, for purposes of this disclosure, is the amount of nuclear fuel waste produced by the nuclear generation plants in the five-state region. The state level data is available from EIA, as noted on the EIA Web site at:

The database is available on CD-ROM. The database has individual plant information, which is supplied by each utility, and the database variable used for the regional calculation is megawatt-days per metric ton of fuel discharged. The data is compiled from EIA Form RW-859. The individual plant waste calculations are weighted to a regional average based on the output of each plant. Nuclear generation by state and by plant is available on the EIA Web site at:

Note that the weighting by generation or plant rating does not yield a nuclear waste figure significantly different than a simple average of the waste levels for each plant for a regional or national level calculation.

Table A, which follows, summarizes the sources for the fuel mix and emissions data.

Calculation Method: Fuel Sources

Generation by fuel type in megawatt-hours (MWh) is summed for the five-state East North Central (ENC) Region (Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin) and includes utility generation plus non-utility generation from the relevant EIA report tables. Total generation is utility generation plus non-utility generation from the EIA report tables.

The portions for each fuel are calculated and presented as a percentage of total generation. Data is presented as whole number percentages and rounded to the nearest whole number. Fuel percentages that are less than 0.5 percent shall be given as less than 0.5 percent, and not rounded to zero. If the sums of the individual fuel type percentages do not total 100 percent, the fuel type with the largest percentage (now coal) shall be adjusted so that the sum of percentages yields a total of 100 percent.

For each fuel type, the regional percentage is calculated by the following formula:

Fuel type percentage = ENC Generation by fuel type / ENC Total generation

For the renewable fuels category, the most recent annual estimates from EIA are used to prorate the Electric Power Monthly, Table 1.14.B, estimate for "net generation from other renewables." Other renewables include wood, black liquor, other wood waste, municipal solid waste, landfill gas, sludge waste, tires, agriculture byproducts, other biomass, geothermal, solar thermal, photovoltaic energy, and wind, according to EIA.

Calculation Method: Emissions

Emissions values for sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and carbon dioxide are summed for the states of Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin to calculate the regional total. This data is reported in thousand short tons, which are converted to pounds by multiplying the totals by the value 2000 (2000 pounds per short ton).

To calculate pounds of emissions per MWh, as required in PA 141, the emissions data is divided by the total electric generation by fossil fuel sources (coal, petroleum, and gas) in the five-state region.

For each emission type, the regional emissions are calculated by the following formula:

Emissions per MWh = ENC Emissions / ENC Total fossil fuel generation

Calculation Method: Nuclear Waste

The nuclear waste calculation is an estimate of the average pounds of nuclear fuel discharged per MWh generated for the nuclear plants for the five-state region. The EIA database includes the variable "burn rate" (megawatt-days of thermal energy produced per metric ton of nuclear fuel discharged) for every nuclear fuel bundle removed during the entire operating life of each nuclear plant in the nation.

For the nuclear waste calculation, the burn rate for the most recent operating cycle is used, and at the current time this would be no later than EIA's last survey year of 1998. The fuel cycle for each plant is different, so the most recent cycle for each plant in EIA's database will generally cover about two years of data.

A simple average of the burn rate for the discharged fuel is calculated first. or example, the database shows that Detroit Edison's Fermi nuclear plant data was in its sixth fuel cycle, and that 222 fuel bundles had been removed by the time the reporting period to EIA had ended, with a simple average burn rate of 31,241 megawatt-days per metric ton of fuel discharged.

The simple averages for each plant are then weighted by the generation of the plant relative to the total nuclear generation in the region. This calculation yields a weighted average of the burn rate for the region.

This regional average burn rate is the thermal output of the nuclear fuel and must be converted to electric energy. The Staff conversion assumes the national average heat rate for nuclear generation, which is 10,400 Btu/kWh, or an efficiency of .328. (Source: EIA estimate for the year 1994.)

Regional average burn rate * .319 = Regional MWD/Mtu, where:

MWD = megawatt-days of electric generation,
Mtu = metric ton of nuclear fuel discharged.

The regional MWD figure is then converted to pounds per MWh by applying the following factors:

Megawatt-day = 24 megawatt-hours;
Metric ton = 2,204 pounds.

Emission/Waste	Regional Average Data Source	Table	Historic Data Period
Sulfur Dioxide	EIA "Electric Power AnnualI"	"Estimated Emissions by State"	Calendar Year
Carbon Dioxide	"	"	Calendar Year
Oxides of Nitrogen	"	"	Calendar Year
High-Level Nuclear Waste	EIA database: RW859ALL1998 (ON CD-ROM)	--	Last fuel cycle ending 2002

*Incineration includes landfill gas.

Note: Michigan's region for this presentation is comprised of Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin, as ordered by the Michigan Public Service Commission in Case No. U-12487 on June 5, 2001.

Prepared by: Michigan Public Service Commission, Operations and Wholesale Markets Division.

Prior Years:
Regional Power Source, Emissions and Nuclear Waste Disclosures - 2006
Regional Power Source, Emissions and Nuclear Waste Disclosures - 2005
Regional Power Source, Emissions and Nuclear Waste Disclosures - 2004
Regional Power Source, Emissions and Nuclear Waste Disclosures - 2003
Regional Power Source, Emissions and Nuclear Waste Disclosures - 2002

For questions regarding this topic please email Pat Poli