CMS Energy Announces Two New Wind Energy Parks

JACKSON, Mich., June 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- CMS Energy today announced the addition of two new planned wind energy parks to its portfolio that will produce up to 250 megawatts of clean, renewable energy.

"CMS Energy is committed to our triple bottom line of people, planet and prosperity, and we are excited to support all three by increasing the renewable energy we supply using wind power," said Patti Poppe, CMS Energy's president and chief executive officer. "We are showing it is possible to provide affordable world-class products and service to customers while being responsible corporate citizens."

Gratiot Farms Wind Project

• Consumers Energy, the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy, has entered into an agreement to own, construct and operate the Gratiot Farms Wind Project currently being developed by Tradewind Energy, one of the largest independent wind and solar project development companies in the United States.
• Located in North Shade and New Haven Townships in Gratiot County, the project will include up to 75 wind turbines and is expected to have a capacity of up to 150 megawatts of wind energy once fully constructed.
• A Development Asset Acquisition agreement will be executed where Consumers Energy will acquire a development package and then manage the wind farm construction. The purchase requires approval from the Michigan Public Service Commission.
• Under the agreement to acquire the wind energy park, Tradewind Energy will continue to perform studies, secure permits, acquire real estate and carry out other functions needed to develop the project to the construction stage.
• Consumers Energy is expected to assume ownership in May 2019 and will be responsible for constructing and operating the Gratiot Farms Wind Project when it goes into commercial operation, expected in late 2020.

Northwest Ohio Wind Project

• CMS Enterprises, a subsidiary of CMS Energy, has signed an agreement to purchase the 105-megawatt Northwest Ohio Wind project once construction is nearly completed. The project is under construction by subsidiaries of Starwood Energy Group Global. CMS Enterprises will then finish construction and own and operate the facility going forward.
• Construction is expected to be completed on the 10,000-acre wind energy park by fall 2018.
• CMS Enterprises has agreed to commit the renewable energy from the Northwest Ohio Wind project to General Motors as part of a 15-year renewable energy purchase agreement.
• "CMS Enterprises' ownership of the Ohio project enhances the longstanding relationship between GM and CMS Energy," said Rob Threlkeld, head of global renewable energy for General Motors. "The Ohio project will play a key role in offsetting carbon emissions from seven GM plants in the Midwest and help enable GM to use renewable energy to power 20 percent of our facilities globally, demonstrating GM's commitment toward meeting our goal of 100 percent renewables by 2050."

Earlier this year, Consumers Energy, CMS Energy's principal subsidiary, announced major clean energy goals, including reducing carbon emissions by 80 percent and no longer using coal to generate electricity by 2040. This month, Consumers Energy also announced its plans to increase renewable energy to 37 percent by 2030 and 43 percent by 2040 through additional investments in wind and solar energy.

CMS Enterprises, a subsidiary of CMS Energy, also takes a leadership role in development, ownership and operation of renewable energy with its clean and lean strategy. It owns and operates more than 1,100 megawatts of generation nationwide, including solar plants in Michigan and Wisconsin, natural gas and co-generation facilities, and two renewable energy biomass plants in Michigan and one in North Carolina.

CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS) is a Michigan-based company that has an electric and natural gas utility, Consumers Energy, as its primary business and also owns and operates independent power generation businesses through CMS Enterprises.

For more information on CMS Energy, please visit www.cmsenergy.com.

This news release contains "forward-looking statements." The forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause Consumers Energy's results to differ materially. All forward-looking statements should be considered in the context of the risk and other factors detailed from time to time in Consumers Energy's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. 

SOURCE CMS Energy