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Consumers Energy Growing Forward With Renewable Energy, Seeks Approval for Contracts With Six New Projects

Posted on: Thursday, 27 August 2009, 05:00 CDT

JACKSON, Mich., Aug. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers Energy has asked the Michigan Public Service Commission to approve power supply contracts with six new Michigan-based renewable energy projects to be owned and operated by third parties.

The six projects represent a total of 9.4 megawatts of capacity and 65,000 megawatt hours of renewable energy annually for up to 20 years. That's enough power to supply about 8,000 residential customers.

This new green power will help Consumers Energy move forward in meeting the requirements of the "Clean, Renewable and Efficient Energy Act" Public Act 295 of 2008.

That law requires that all state electric providers by 2015 have 10 percent of their power supply come from Michigan-based renewable energy. About 4 percent of the power that Consumers Energy currently supplies to customers comes from Michigan-based renewable sources, including wind, biomass, hydro, landfill gas and anaerobic digestion. That makes Consumers Energy the largest renewable energy supplier in the state.

The six new projects, all in Michigan and none affiliated with Consumers Energy, are:

• A landfill gas generation project, owned and operated by Okemos, Mich.-based North American Natural Resources, located at the Venice Park Landfill, in Lennon.
• A hydroelectric generation project, leased and operated by Northville, Mich.- based Elk Rapids Hydroelectric Power, LLC, located in Elk Rapids.
• An anaerobic digestion generation project, owned and operated by Novi, Mich.- based Fremont Community Digestor, LLC, located in Fremont.
• An anaerobic digestion generation project, owned and operated by Hamilton, Mich.-based Scenic View Dairy, LLC, located in Kent County's Boone Township, near Freeport. Scenic View Dairy is being assisted by Phase 3 Renewables, of Cincinnati, Ohio.
• A landfill gas generation project, owned and operated by Zeeland, Mich.-based Zeeland Farm Services, Inc., located in Ottawa County.
• A landfill gas generation project, owned and operated by Houston, Texas-based WM Renewable Energy, LLC, a subsidiary of Waste Management, Inc., located at the Northern Oaks Landfill in Harrison.
  

"No utility in Michigan provides more renewable energy to its customers than Consumers Energy. These six new projects will add to the green power we purchase and supply, and will increase our fuel supply diversity," said John Dellas, executive manager, electric supply for Consumers Energy. "We're pleased to work with the Michigan Public Service Commission on this effort, and we're delighted with the added jobs and economic benefits these projects represent."

Consumers Energy, the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), provides natural gas and electricity to nearly 6.5 million of Michigan's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.

For more information about Consumers Energy, visit our Website at www.consumersenergy.com

SOURCE Consumers Energy

Source: PR Newswire

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