Consumers Energy : Clearing Trees, Updating Wires and Installing Equipment from Martin to Delton

Hamilton, Mich. Tuesday, January 24, 2017

More than 100 Miles of Electric Line Clearing to Enhance Reliability
this Winter for Portions of Allegan and Barry Counties

Approximately 7,400 Consumers Energy customers in eastern Allegan and western Barry counties will benefit from more than $6 million in investments made to the area's electric system.

'Consumers Energy is striving to improve reliability in the Delton, Martin and Gun Lake areas following a series of outages related to weather, equipment and trees,' said Mary Palkovich, Consumers Energy vice president of energy delivery. 'While controlling the weather is beyond our means, updating our equipment and clearing the electric lines lessen the impact weather has on electric service reliability. Consistent, reliable energy is necessary for powering every home, business and neighborhood in the communities we serve.'

Today, crews installed clear polycarbonate panels around an electric substation near Gun Lake. This work is the latest step in animal mitigation work performed at the substation in the last several years. The panels help keep climbing animals out of the substation, where they make contact with electrical equipment and can cause power outages for at least hundreds if not thousands of customers. Other work already completed includes narrower mesh fence and several inches of gravel around the perimeter. The gravel helps keep burrowing animals out of the substation.

Other elements of the upgrade plan include utility pole replacements on the circuit between Delton and Cloverdale, along with upgrading the electric distribution line. More than 200 utility poles already have been replaced in the area near Delton, along with more than 100 miles of vegetation management work along the area's electrical circuit.

The higher voltage electric distribution line serving the area will also be upgraded for a 7.3-mile stretch near Delton. High voltage line systems and equipment upgrades near Martin, along with substation upgrades, will also enhance overall reliability, Palkovich said.

'We are accelerating high voltage and low voltage electric line clearing activity for more than 100 miles of our distribution system serving the area, as part of a much broader plan,' Palkovich said. 'Projects across the state are ongoing, with the Delton, Martin and Gun Lake area improvements incorporated into a broader company strategy to maintain reliability.'

The system improvement work will continue through 2017. Letters were mailed to all homeowners and businesses affected, informing them of planned circuit work and forestry activity in advance of local work. Additional written communication is planned.

'Consumers Energy is committed to building a more reliable energy infrastructure, and our circuit and forestry investments will continue to enhance the service we provide to our customers, every day,' Palkovich said.

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.

Media toolkit
BY THE NUMBERS: Electrical system improvements in portions of Allegan and Barry counties.
7,400: Customers affected
100: Miles of electric lines being cleared of interfering trees
$6 million: Estimated project cost

Roger Morgenstern, 616-530-4364, or Terry DeDoes, 517-374-2159

For more information about Consumers Energy, go to www.ConsumersEnergy.com.

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