Oak Creek Power Plant - Incidents

Incidents

On February 3, 2009, 6 contract workers were injured when coal dust ignited in a 65 foot coal dust silo on the power plant site. The 6 workers (4 inside and 2 outside) were preparing the structure for repairs when an unknown ignition source ignited coal dust that had accumulated at the top of the silo. All 6 were transported to local hospitals with varying degrees of burns, with the most severe being third degree burns to hands and face.

On October 31, 2011, a bluff area roughly the size of a football field and 200 feet above the level of Lake Michigan eroded under unknown circumstances washing a large amount of mud and debris into Lake Michigan. The area that washed away was near the construction site of a new air quality control unit for the plant. Close to 100 workers were at the site at the time of the collapse of which none were hurt or killed. Among the debris that was washed into Lake Michigan included several storage trailers, a pickup truck, and a temporary storage building being use for the construction. The area was also a former site where coal ash was stored and it is believed that coal ash washed into Lake Michigan as well. WE Energies Contracted with Clean Harbors to prevent further environmental damage and clean the area up.