LANSING, MI (92 7 WHTC, Nov. 6, 2026) – The future of the Calkins Bridge Dam in Allegan is still uncertain.
On Thursday, the Michigan Public Service Commission approved Consumers Energy’s request for a postponement of a Monday deadline to complete the sale of 13 hydroelectric dams to Confluence Hydro. This would include the dam which created a 1,600-acre Lake Allegan on the Kalamazoo River.
Last year, the utility entered into an agreement with the subsidiary of the equity firm Hull Street Energy to sell the 13 dams along five rivers for a dollar each. The deal would turn operations to Confluence Hydro for a 30-year-long period, selling the electricity back to Consumers at a starting rate of $160 per megawatt hour, about double the current rate, with a 2.5 percent annual price increase over the length of the agreement. The utility claims that this would save its customers around $500 million, compared to decommissioning the dams, which could have led to their dismantlement.
Consumers had wanted five more weeks to, in a company statement, “work with interested parties to achieve a constructive settlement.” Opponents, led by state Attorney General Dana Nessel and Governor Gretchen Whitmer, claim that the private equity firm ownership could lead to “catastrophic” dam failures, and the deal lacks sufficient financial safeguards for maintenance.
In issuing the postponement, PSC officials said that no further extensions would be considered, and if an agreement isn’t filed by December 9th, a final order on whether to accept or reject the deal would be made eight days later.
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