Consumers Energy said today it is delaying the start of construction for a new coal-fired power plant in Bay County for two years.

The company was to announce today that the timeline has been pushed from 2015 to 2017, due to a recent directive by Gov. Jennifer Granholm to re-evaluate five pending air permits for new coal plants in Michigan.

Consumers now expects its new 800-megawatt clean-coal unit to be in operation in 2017. The utility originally planned to have the plant available to serve customers in 2015.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) review of the company’s applications for the plant’s environmental permits has taken nearly a year longer than originally expected. That delay already had caused Consumers Energy to re-evaluate the schedule for the plant, which it plans to build near Bay City.

The utility revised its schedule for the plant’s completion date after the MDEQ recently told the company it was putting a hold on issuing the draft environmental permits for the plant until it has completed an analysis of the need for the clean coal plant and alternatives.

John Russell, the president and chief operating officer of Consumers Energy, said the company remains committed to moving forward with the plant, despite the regulatory delay.

“We continue to believe that the best way to provide reliable and affordable power to Michigan’s families and businesses is with a balanced energy portfolio that includes renewable energy, energy efficiency, and new baseload generating plants,” Russell said.