Groundbreaking Held Today For Cross Winds Energy Park; Michigan Businesses Supplying $100 Million Of Project

CARO, Mich., Nov. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers Energy, its contractors, Tuscola County-area landowners and local government officials held a groundbreaking event today to officially start construction of the company's second wind park, the Cross Winds® Energy Park.

"Renewable energy will continue to be a vital part of our Balanced Energy Initiative, providing Michigan residents with the energy they need, whenever they need it," said Jack Hanson, Consumers Energy's senior vice president of energy resources. "We are drawing on our state's natural resources to power our state's future."

Cross Winds is expected to open in late 2014, fulfilling the state of Michigan's requirement that energy providers generate 10 percent of their power from renewable sources. The facility will include 62 wind turbines, with a total capacity of 105 megawatts.

Consumers Energy also opened the 100-megawatt Lake Winds Energy Park in Mason County last year.

About 150 construction jobs will be created during Cross Winds construction now and into 2014. Southfield-based Barton Malow Company is the lead contractor, with several Michigan-based subcontractors and parts suppliers also participating in the project.

"As part of our $1 billion commitment to the Pure Michigan Business Connect initiative, we're pleased to report more than $100 million of the $255 million Cross Winds Energy Park will come from services and goods supplied by companies in our state," Hanson said.

Pure Michigan Business Connect is a public-private alliance of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, state agencies and major Michigan companies and organizations that connects in-state companies to business resources.

GE is supplying the 1.7 MW turbine units for Cross Winds, with 43 turbines scheduled for Akron Township and 19 turbines scheduled for Columbia Township.

Initial construction will focus on building access drives and turbine foundations and will continue in coming months, weather permitting. Turbine construction is scheduled to begin next summer.

Consumers Energy, Michigan's largest utility, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), providing natural gas and electricity to 6.6 million of the state's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in Rule 3b-6 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Rule 175 of the Securities Act of 1933, and relevant legal decisions. The forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties. 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.  Forward-looking statements should be read in conjunction with "FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND INFORMATION" and "RISK FACTORS" sections of CMS Energy's Form 10-K and Consumers Energy's Form 10-K each for the year ended December 31, 2012 and as updated in CMS Energy's and Consumers Energy's Forms 10-Q.

CMS Energy's and Consumers Energy's "FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND INFORMATION" and "RISK FACTORS" sections are incorporated herein by reference and discuss important factors that could cause CMS Energy's and Consumers Energy's results to differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

Media toolkit

MAP: Cross Winds Energy Park: www.crosswindsenergypark.com/Uploadedfiles/Lakewinds/CrossWinds%20Simple%20Map.pdf

NEWS RELEASE: Consumers Energy names Southfield-based Barton Malow Company as lead contractor: www.consumersenergy.com/News.aspx?id=6486&year=2013

For more information regarding Consumers Energy, visit us at: www.ConsumersEnergy.com or join us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/consumersenergymichigan

SOURCE Consumers Energy