Plant to reduce pollutants in the works

We Energies will begin work on a facility that will reduce mercury and sulfur dioxide emissions at their power plant in Presque Isle by 70 percent.

Part of a test program in the Bush administration's Clean Coal initiative, the plant is expected to be completed by January of 2006 at a cost of $50 million, with up to half the funding coming from the U.S. Department of Energy. Presque Isle has a 618-megawatt capacity and provides electricity to tens of thousands of homes and businesses across the U.P. and northern Wisconsin and employs about 200 people.

No new permanent jobs are expected when the plant is finished, but during the construction period about 100 workers will be hired.

—Kathy Cobb