Consumers Energy Opens Development Office In Caro for Cross Winds Energy Park

CARO, Mich., June 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers Energy has opened a development office in Caro as it moves forward with its Cross Winds Energy Park.  The utility's Caro Field Office is located at 101 N. State St., across from the Strand Theater.

Cross Winds will be the utility's second wind park and will be located in Tuscola County.  The 150-megawatt wind park is scheduled for construction in 2014 and commercial operation for phase one by the end of 2015. 

Electricity from Cross Winds will support Consumers Energy's statutory requirement to have 10 percent of the power provided to its customers come from Michigan renewable sources.

"The reception from Caro, local and state officials has been very welcoming to this $250 million investment in Tuscola County being planned by Consumers Energy," said Dennis Dobbs, the utility's vice president of generation engineering and services. "While Consumers Energy is an established natural gas provider in Michigan's Thumb, we look forward to building on our good neighbor reputation with the Cross Winds Energy Park."

Construction of Cross Winds is expected to include about 150 construction jobs and up to 12 full-time operator positions. Consumers Energy has 22,000 acres under contract for possible wind turbine locations, and has 5 meteorological towers collecting data on wind patterns.  More information on the wind park and the utility's renewable energy plan is available at:  http://www.crosswindsenergypark.com/

Consumers Energy, the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), provides natural gas and electricity to 6.8 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