Ludington Pumped Storage donates $13K to fund public safety enhancement

From left, Brian Zatloukal, Consumers; Janet Anderson, Mason County Commission chair; Liz Reimink, Mason County Emergency Management coordinator.

Ludington Pumped Storage donates $13K to fund public safety enhancement

LUDINGTON — Officials from the Ludington Pumped Storage Plant Tuesday provided funding to enhance emergency notifications to residents and visitors in Mason and Oceana counties.

Brian Zatloukal, Consumers Energy’s manager for Ludington Pumped Storage Plant operations and maintenance, presented a $13,000 check to Janet Andersen, chair of Mason County Board of Commissioners. The funds from Consumers Energy and DTE Energy, which co-own the pumped storage facility, cover an annual subscription for CodeRED, which equips emergency officials with several methods to provide detailed emergency information to residents and visitors.

“This CodeRED system is the gold standard for communities as a way of getting more and useful information to people in an area under an emergency,” said Andersen. “Employees at Ludington Pumped Storage have worked for decades with our emergency managers to build a strong relationship with the shared goal of keeping our residents safe. We greatly appreciate that continued relationship and their support to fund this valuable initiative.”

“Safety is the foundation of every task we perform at Ludington Pumped Storage, and that mindset extends into our communities,” said Zatloukal. “Our commitment is to continue to support payments to CodeRED for Mason and Oceana counties well into the coming years.”

Consumers Energy owns 51 percent of Ludington Pumped Storage Plant and operates the facility.

DTE Energy is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include an electric company serving 2.2 million customers in Southeastern Michigan and a natural gas company serving 1.3 million customers in Michigan. The DTE portfolio includes energy businesses focused on power and industrial projects, renewable natural gas, natural gas pipelines, gathering and storage, and energy marketing and trading. As an environmental leader, DTE will reduce carbon dioxide and methane emissions by more than 80 percent by 2050 while keeping energy safe, reliable and affordable. DTE is committed to being a force for good in the communities where it serves through volunteerism, education and employment initiatives, philanthropy and economic progress. Information about DTE is available at dteenergy.com, empoweringmichigan.com, twitter.com/dte_energy and facebook.com. 

Consumers Energy, Michigan’s largest energy provider, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.7 million of the state’s 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.