TROY Mich. — Circle Power Renewables and Upper Peninsula Power Company announced Friday that the Michigan Public Service Commission has approved a power purchase agreement for Groveland Mine Solar, a grid-connected solar facility slated for development in Dickinson County.

Under the agreement, UPPCO will purchase renewable energy from 62.5 megawatts of the utility-scale solar project owned by Copper Country Power I LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Circle Power Renewables, a news release states.

Groveland Mine Solar will be sited on mining waste and lands previously impacted by the former Groveland Mine in Norway, Sagola and Felch townships.

UPPCO will procure the power generated by 62.5 megawatts of Groveland Mine Solar’s total 100-megawatt plant capacity, the news release states. The agreement is expected to generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of approximately 12,000 homes in the Upper Peninsula while supporting jobs in the region, Circle Power CEO Jordan Roberts said.

“We are pleased the Michigan Public Service Commission approved the Groveland Mine Solar agreement,” Roberts said.

“By repurposing former mine lands to host a solar energy facility, we’re generating power in the Upper Peninsula and contributing to the site’s economic revitalization in a way that will benefit the community and region.”

UPPCO CEO Gradon Haehnel said the agreement moves UPPCO closer to meeting Michigan’s renewable energy statutes that require electric utilities to achieve an energy mix of 60% renewable energy by the year 2035 and 100% clean energy by 2040. “Through this stage of the development process, Circle Power has proven itself to be an excellent and trustworthy partner,” Haehnel said.

UPPCO is a public utility engaged in the generation, purchase, distribution and sale of electric energy to approximately 53,000 retail customers in 118 communities in the Upper Peninsula.

Groveland Mine Solar will site ground-mounted solar arrays on public and private lands of the decommissioned Groveland Mine, which operated from the early 1950s until 1981 under the ownership of the Hanna Mining Co.

According to Circle Power, the size of the solar farm will be determined by a number of factors, including whether the cost of the electricity is competitive. An initial estimate called for 120 megawatts of power, including 57 MWs in Norway Township, 32 MWs in Sagola Township and 31 MWs in Felch Township. Based on that arrangement, Groveland Mine Solar is committed to contributing a minimum of $12 million in new tax revenues to Felch, Norway and Sagola townships; Dickinson County; area schools; and additional public entities.

Once constructed, Groveland Mine Solar is expected to be operational for at least 30 years. A decommissioning agreement is in place with the three townships to ensure the solar facility is removed at the end of the project’s life.

With further regulatory approval needed, Circle Power estimated last year that work might start in 2025, with the project going online in 2026 or 2027.

The Groveland Mine Solar project has been endorsed by the Upper Peninsula Building Trades Council, the Upper Peninsula Construction Council, the Operating Engineers Local 324, the LiUNA Local 1309, the Michigan Council of Carpenters & Millwrights and the IBEW Local 906, Circle Power noted.

For more information about Groveland Mine Solar, go to www.GrovelandMineSolar.com.