CMS Energy Announces Operations for Northwest Ohio Wind, Providing Clean Energy to General Motors

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Oct 08, 2018, 13:00 ET

HAVILAND, Ohio, Oct. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- CMS Energy today celebrated Northwest Ohio Wind, a 105-megawatt wind project that will generate clean energy for General Motors for at least the next 15 years.

Northwest Ohio Wind is owned by CMS Enterprises, a subsidiary of CMS Energy that takes a leadership role in development, ownership and operation of renewable energy with its clean and lean strategy. CMS Enterprises officials celebrated the wind park's opening today at a ceremony at Wayne Trace Junior/Senior High School that included community members.

"We at CMS Energy are committed to our Triple Bottom Line of People, Planet and Prosperity, and we're excited to start generating clean energy that will help General Motors meet long-term goals to protect the planet," said DV Rao, Senior Vice President of Strategy for CMS Energy.

"Renewable energy is an important part of GM's vision for a zero emissions future," said Rob Threlkeld, Global Manager of Renewable Energy for General Motors. "Working with CMS Energy's Northwest Ohio Wind farm, along with the HillTopper Wind Project in Illinois, we'll soon power all of our manufacturing facilities in Ohio and Indiana with 100 percent clean wind energy."

Northwest Ohio Wind is expected to generate about 320,000 megawatt-hours of renewable energy per year – enough to power more than 30,000 Ohio homes. Construction of the Northwest Ohio Wind project was executed through select contractors, including General Electric and White Construction, and was completed in August.

Renewable energy credits from Northwest Ohio Wind are committed to General Motors as part of a 15-year renewable energy purchase agreement.Northwest Ohio Wind will help offset carbon emissions from seven Midwestern General Motors plants. The carbon offset is about equivalent to planting more than 6.1 million trees or taking more than 50,000 cars off the road each year.

Earlier this year, CMS Energy announced major clean energy goals. Its principal subsidiary, Consumers Energy, plans to reduce carbon emissions by over 90 percent and no longer use coal to generate electricity by 2040. CMS Enterprises owns and operates more than 1,300 megawatts of generation nationwide, including solar plants in Michigan and Wisconsin, natural gas and co-generation facilities in Michigan, and three clean energy biomass plants in Michigan and 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.

For more information on CMS Energy, please visit our website at www.cmsenergy.com. To sign up for email alert notifications, please visit the Investor Relations section of our website.

This news release contains "forward-looking statements." The forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause CMS Energy's and 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 CMS Energy's and Consumers Energy's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

SOURCE CMS Energy