Sempra U.S. Gas & Power Announces Acquisition of Michigan Wind Project

SAN DIEGO, July 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Sempra U.S. Gas & Power today announced it has acquired the Apple Blossom wind project in Michigan from Geronimo Energy, LLC, a utility-scale wind and solar energy developer. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

When the 100-megawatt (MW) Apple Blossom is completed, Sempra U.S. Gas & Power, along with its affiliates and joint-venture partners, will have wind facilities in eight states totaling more than 1,300 MW of generating capacity.

Located in Huron County, Mich., the Apple Blossom wind farm will generate enough clean, renewable power for approximately 38,000 Michigan homes. Construction is expected to begin at the wind farm site in fall 2016.

"We are pleased to have the opportunity to acquire, build and operate the Apple Blossom wind project in the state of Michigan as it continues to position itself as a wind energy leader," said Kevin C. Sagara, president of renewables for Sempra U.S. Gas & Power. "The acquisition of the Apple Blossom wind project enables our company to continue to invest in the development, construction and operation of renewable energy infrastructure. We look forward to providing Michigan with a stable supply of clean, renewable energy and becoming a long-term partner with the local community through the development and operation of this project."

The project is expected to employ about 250 construction workers at peak and be in commercial operation by year-end 2017. The entire output from the wind farm has been sold to Consumers Energy under a 15-year contract.

"Geronimo Energy is pleased to work with Sempra U.S. Gas & Power on a second wind farm project in the Midwestern United States," said Blake Nixon, president of Geronimo Energy. "Sempra U.S. Gas & Power brings impressive wind energy construction and operating expertise and has an aligned mission with Geronimo Energy's farmer-friendly and community-focused approach."

"We appreciate the contribution made by Geronimo Energy to develop the Apple Blossom project and look forward to collaboration with Sempra U.S Gas & Power as the project is constructed and operated," said Tim Sparks, vice president energy supply operations for Consumers Energy. "Our customers are expressing interest in more renewable energy development in Michigan. We're pleased to be a leader in providing an increasingly clean energy portfolio at a very economical price to the Michigan families and businesses we serve."

About Sempra U.S. Gas & Power
Sempra U.S. Gas & Power, LLC is a leading developer of renewable energy and natural gas projects. For more information, visit www.SempraUSGP.com. Sempra U.S. Gas & Power is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company with 2015 revenues of $10 billion. The Sempra Energy companies' 17,000 employees serve more than 32 million consumers worldwide.

About Geronimo Energy
Geronimo Energy is a utility-scale renewable energy development company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Geronimo has developed multiple operating wind farms and solar projects throughout the United States. Over 1,600 megawatts of Geronimo-developed renewable energy projects are either operational or currently under construction.

Geronimo has a multi-gigawatt development pipeline of wind and solar projects in various stages of development throughout the United States and provides custom renewable energy development solutions for utilities and corporations looking to harness renewable energy for business growth. For more information about Geronimo Energy, visit www.geronimoenergy.com.

About Consumers Energy
Consumers Energy, Michigan's largest utility, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), providing natural gas and electricity to 6.7 million of the state's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.

This press release contains statements that are not historical fact and constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  These statements can be identified by words like "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "plans," "estimates,"  "projects," "forecasts," "contemplates," "intends," "assumes," "depends," "should," "could," "would," "will," "confident," "may," "potential," "possible,"  "proposed,"  "target," "pursue," "goals," "outlook," "maintain," or similar expressions or discussions of guidance, strategies, plans, goals, opportunities, projections, initiatives, objectives or intentions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance.  They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions.  Future results may differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon various assumptions involving judgments with respect to the future and other risks, including, among others:  local, regional, national and international economic, competitive, political, legislative, legal and regulatory conditions, decisions and developments; actions and the timing of actions, including general rate case decisions, new regulations, issuances of permits to construct, operate and maintain facilities and equipment and to use land, franchise agreements and licenses for operation, by the California Public Utilities Commission, California State Legislature, U.S. Department of Energy, California Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, California Energy Commission, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, California Air Resources Board, South Coast Air Quality Management District, Mexican Competition Commission, cities and counties, and other regulatory, governmental and environmental bodies in the United States and other countries in which we operate; the timing and success of business development efforts and construction, maintenance and capital projects, including risks in obtaining, maintaining or extending permits, licenses, certificates and other authorizations on a timely basis and risks in obtaining adequate and competitive financing for such projects; the resolution of civil and criminal litigation and regulatory investigations; deviations from regulatory precedent or practice that result in a reallocation of benefits or burdens among shareholders and ratepayers, and delays in regulatory agency authorization to recover costs in rates from customers; the availability of electric power, natural gas and liquefied natural gas, and natural gas pipeline and storage capacity, including disruptions caused by failures in the North American transmission grid, moratoriums on the ability to withdraw natural gas from or inject natural gas into storage facilities, pipeline explosions and equipment failures; energy markets; the timing and extent of changes and volatility in commodity prices; the impact on the value of our natural gas storage and related assets and our investments from low natural gas prices, low volatility of natural gas prices and the inability to procure favorable long-term contracts for natural gas storage services; risks posed by decisions and actions of third parties who control the operations of investments in which we do not have a controlling interest, and risks that our partners or counterparties will be unable (due to liquidity issues, bankruptcy or otherwise) or unwilling to fulfill their contractual commitments; capital markets conditions, including the availability of credit and the liquidity of our investments, and inflation, interest and currency exchange rates; cybersecurity threats to the energy grid, natural gas storage and pipeline infrastructure, the information and systems used to operate our businesses and the confidentiality of our proprietary information and the personal information of our customers and employees; terrorist attacks that threaten system operations and critical infrastructure; wars; the ability to win competitively bid infrastructure projects against a number of strong competitors willing to aggressively bid for these projects; weather conditions, natural disasters, catastrophic accidents, equipment failures and other events that may disrupt our operations, damage our facilities and systems, cause the release of greenhouse gasses, radioactive materials and harmful emissions, and subject us to third-party liability for property damage or personal injuries, fines and penalties, some of which may not be covered by insurance or may be disputed by insurers; disallowance of regulatory assets associated with, or decommissioning costs of, the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station facility due to increased regulatory oversight, including motions to modify settlements; expropriation of assets by foreign governments and title and other property disputes; the impact on reliability of San Diego Gas & Electric Company's (SDG&E) electric transmission and distribution system due to increased amount and variability of power supply from renewable energy sources and increased reliance on natural gas and natural gas transmission systems; the impact on competitive customer rates of the growth in distributed and local power generation and the corresponding decrease in demand for power delivered through SDG&E's electric transmission and distribution system; the inability or determination not to enter into long-term supply and sales agreements or long-term firm capacity agreements due to insufficient market interest, unattractive pricing or other factors; and other uncertainties, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control.

These risks and uncertainties are further discussed in the reports that Sempra Energy has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These reports are available through the EDGAR system free-of-charge on the SEC's website, www.sec.gov, and on the company's website at www.sempra.com. Investors should not rely unduly on any forward-looking statements.  These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and the company undertakes no obligation to update or revise these forecasts or projections or other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Sempra International, LLC, Sempra U.S. Gas & Power, LLC, and Sempra Partners, LP, are not the same companies as the California utilities, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) or Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), and Sempra International, LLC, Sempra U.S. Gas & Power, LLC, and Sempra Partners, LP, are not regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission. Sempra International's underlying entities include Sempra Mexico and Sempra South American Utilities. Sempra U.S. Gas & Power's underlying entities include Sempra Renewables and Sempra Natural Gas.

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SOURCE Sempra U.S. Gas & Power

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