A meeting is set this week on a proposal by an energy company to construct an electrical power plant in Handy Township.

As WHMI first reported in January, the property in question is 145 acres located at Mason and Truhn Roads. Competitive Power Ventures, or CPV, has an option on the property, giving them a two-year due diligence period to decide whether it’s a good location for their project. The Handy Township Planning Commission will consider the plan at its meeting Wednesday. The company operates plants in Maryland and New Jersey, with others under construction in three other states. The company’s facilities burn natural gas to generate electricity, which officials say makes the Handy Township property an ideal location as it is near the intersection of the Vector and Rover natural gas pipelines.

Handy Township Supervisor Ed Alverson says if a plant is built in the township, it could provide power to parts of Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, and believes it would stabilize prices. He says it would also bring in hundreds of construction jobs, positions for plant workers, and would serve as a good economic boost to the region.

However, many residents who live in the area have expressed concern about what the plant will do their property values as well as its impact on their quality of life. Alverson says if the company decides to move forward with the plant at the end of the due-diligence period, the facility would take approximately three years to construct.

Wednesday’s meeting is set for 7:30pm in the Fowlerville Junior High School auditorium on Sharpe Road to accommodate an expected large turnout. (JK)