CARO, Mich., Dec. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers Energy announced Cross Winds Energy Park Phase III in Tuscola County today began serving customers and contributing 76 new megawatts of clean, renewable energy in Michigan.
"Each spinning wind turbine producing sustainable, renewable energy breathes life into our Clean Energy Plan, a commitment we've made to our Michigan friends and neighbors to eliminate coal, cut harmful emissions and help greatly improve the quality of our state's water and air," said Dennis Dobbs, vice president of enterprise project management, engineering and services for Consumers Energy. "Thanks go to the people of Columbia and Akron townships who welcomed us into their community. We are looking forward to being a good neighbor in the community for the long term."
Consumers Energy's Clean Energy Plan calls for the energy provider to meet 90 percent of customers' electricity capacity needs by 2040 through clean energy resources like renewable energy, energy waste reduction and energy storage. The plan also calls for eliminating coal as a fuel source and reducing carbon emissions by 90 percent during that time period.
The $150 million Cross Winds Phase III that began commercial operations this morning employed over 250 workers during the project's construction. Its 33 turbines' 76-megawatt capacity is enough to serve about 30,000 residents.
The three phases of Cross Winds Energy Park are comprised of 114 total wind turbines with a combined capacity of 231 megawatts, or enough to serve about 90,000 residents. That is the environmental equivalent of taking over 179,000 cars off roads. Phase I began operations in December of 2014 and Phase II began in January of 2018.
With Phase III operational, five full-time staff have been added to the Cross Winds Energy Park team, which now has 16 full time employees.
Consumers Energy, Michigan's largest energy provider, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.7 million of the state's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.
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SOURCE Consumers Energy