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About CMS Energy Corp
CMS Energy Corporation (NYSE: CMS) is a Michigan-based energy company that operates as a diversified energy holding entity. At its core, CMS Energy focuses on delivering reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy solutions through its subsidiaries. The company is best known for its regulated utility, Consumers Energy, which provides electricity and natural gas services to approximately 6.8 million residents across Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. This makes it Michigan's largest energy provider, serving the energy needs of nearly 70% of the state’s population.
Core Business Segments
CMS Energy operates through three principal business segments:
- Consumers Energy: The regulated utility arm of CMS Energy, Consumers Energy, is responsible for generating, transmitting, and distributing electricity and natural gas. It serves residential, commercial, and industrial customers, ensuring reliable energy access throughout Michigan. The utility is a cornerstone of the company’s revenue, operating under a regulated model that provides stable cash flows.
- CMS Enterprises: This segment focuses on non-regulated energy operations, including wholesale power generation. CMS Enterprises is particularly active in renewable energy, owning and operating solar, wind, and biomass facilities. It also develops clean energy projects to support the decarbonization goals of businesses and communities.
- NorthStar Clean Energy: A wholly owned subsidiary of CMS Energy, NorthStar specializes in renewable energy and decarbonization solutions. It operates over 2,000 megawatts of generating capacity nationwide, including solar, wind, and biomass assets. NorthStar also manages a robust development pipeline aimed at expanding renewable energy infrastructure.
Commitment to Clean Energy
CMS Energy is at the forefront of the energy transition, driven by its ambitious Clean Energy Plan. The company plans to eliminate coal as an energy source by 2025, achieve net-zero carbon emissions, and meet 90% of its energy needs through clean sources like wind and solar by 2040. Recent projects, such as the Muskegon Solar Energy Center and plans to add 8,000 megawatts of solar capacity, underscore its commitment to sustainability.
In addition to renewable energy generation, CMS Energy is investing in innovative solutions to modernize Michigan’s electric grid. These initiatives include deploying artificial intelligence, integrating electric vehicles (EVs) into the grid, and enhancing grid resilience to support the growing demand for clean energy.
Innovations in Electric Vehicle Infrastructure
Consumers Energy is playing a pivotal role in Michigan's electric vehicle transformation. Through its Transportation Electrification Plan, the company aims to power 1,500 public fast-charging locations by the end of the decade. These efforts are complemented by rebate programs for residential and commercial EV chargers, making EV adoption more accessible and cost-effective for customers.
Grid Modernization and Reliability
CMS Energy is heavily investing in grid modernization to enhance reliability and reduce outages. Its Electric Reliability Roadmap includes burying power lines, installing advanced sensors, and deploying robotic technologies to strengthen the grid. These upgrades have already reduced outage times and improved customer satisfaction.
Competitive Positioning
CMS Energy operates in a competitive landscape that includes other regulated utilities and renewable energy providers. The company differentiates itself through its integrated approach to clean energy, customer-focused programs, and significant investments in technology and infrastructure. Its ability to balance regulatory compliance with innovation positions it as a leader in the energy sector.
Challenges and Opportunities
Like all energy providers, CMS Energy faces challenges such as regulatory hurdles, the high cost of infrastructure upgrades, and the evolving energy market. However, its proactive approach to clean energy, grid modernization, and customer engagement provides significant opportunities for growth and long-term stability.
Conclusion
CMS Energy Corporation is more than just an energy provider; it is a forward-thinking leader committed to shaping a sustainable energy future. Through its regulated utility operations, renewable energy initiatives, and strategic investments, CMS Energy is well-positioned to meet the evolving needs of its customers while advancing Michigan’s clean energy goals.
Consumers Energy has successfully prevented over 72,000 power outages in 2024 through the implementation of smart technology called automatic transfer reclosers (ATRs). These devices, functioning like traffic lights, automatically detect and limit power outages, saving customers more than 350,000 hours of potential outage time. The company has deployed nearly 550 ATRs across Michigan and plans to install over 100 more this year as part of its Reliability Roadmap. The initiative aims to limit storm-related outages to 100,000 customers and restore power within 24 hours.
Consumers Energy is urging Michigan residents to be vigilant against utility scams, particularly during the holiday season and Utility Scam Awareness Day. The company's VP of IT and security, Jim Beechey, emphasized the importance of protecting customers from fraud across various channels. The warning comes after an incident where criminals posing as utility workers committed a homicide in Rochester Hills. Consumers Energy, serving 6.8 million Michigan residents, provided several safety tips including: verifying employee identification badges, calling their security command center to confirm worker identity, and being aware that legitimate employees don't demand immediate payment or threaten immediate shut-offs.
CMS Energy has announced a quarterly dividend declaration for its 4.200% Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series C. The company will pay $0.2625 per depositary share on January 15, 2025, to shareholders recorded as of January 1, 2025. The dividend applies to the NYSE: CMS PRC shares. CMS Energy, listed on NYSE as CMS, operates primarily through its Consumers Energy business and maintains independent power generation operations in Michigan.
Consumers Energy, CMS Energy's principal subsidiary, has announced a quarterly dividend declaration on its preferred stock. The Board of Directors has set a dividend of $1.125 per share on the $4.50 preferred stock (NYSE: CMS_pb), payable on January 1, 2025. Shareholders of record as of December 2, 2024, will be eligible for this dividend payment. Tax information regarding dividend distributions is available through the Tax Information section of CMS Energy's website. CMS Energy operates as a Michigan-based energy provider with Consumers Energy as its main business and maintains independent power generation operations.
Consumers Energy has completed the Mid-Michigan Pipeline project, replacing 55 miles of natural gas transmission pipeline across five counties. The $1.5 billion investment modernizes the company's natural gas system by upgrading 20-inch pipeline from the 1940s to 36-inch pipeline. The project, completed before winter, spans Clinton, Shiawassee, Ingham, Livingston and Washtenaw counties. This follows the completion of the Saginaw Trail Pipeline in 2020 and South Oakland Macomb Network in 2022. The company implemented environmental protection measures during construction, including turtle rescue and wildflower planting along the pipeline route.
CMS Energy reported Q3 2024 earnings per share of $0.84, up from $0.60 in Q3 2023. For the first nine months of 2024, earnings were $2.45 per share versus $1.96 in 2023. The company reaffirmed its 2024 adjusted earnings guidance of $3.29 to $3.35 per share and introduced 2025 guidance of $3.52 to $3.58 per share. Growth was attributed to regulatory outcomes and NorthStar Clean Energy performance. The company maintains its long-term adjusted EPS growth target of 6 to 8 percent, with confidence toward the higher end.
Consumers Energy has implemented infrared camera technology across its electric grid, resulting in a significant reduction in power outages. The cameras, used to inspect nearly 1,100 electric substations throughout Michigan, helped avoid 19.9 million minutes of customer outages last year, reducing average outage time by 10 minutes per customer. This initiative is part of the company's Reliability Roadmap, which includes other measures such as line clearing, iron poles installation, and underground power lines. The technology enables workers to detect potential issues through thermal imaging before they cause outages, allowing for proactive repairs.
CMS Energy's Board of Directors has declared a quarterly dividend of 51.50 cents per share on the company's common stock. The dividend is payable on November 27, 2024, to shareholders of record as of November 13, 2024. CMS Energy, listed on the NYSE under the ticker CMS, is a Michigan-based energy company with Consumers Energy as its primary business. The company also operates independent power generation businesses.
Shareholders can access additional dividend information, including tax status of distributions, through the Tax Information section of CMS Energy's website at www.cmsenergy.com. The company encourages interested parties to visit their website for more information and to sign up for email alert notifications in the Investor Relations section.
Consumers Energy has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy for a nearly $20 million financial assistance award to deploy new technology providing real-time visibility into the grid and help integrate electric vehicles into Michigan's electric grid. This commitment will be matched by $20 million from Consumers Energy, totaling nearly $40 million for the project.
The company plans to add AI-powered modules to 18,000 electric meters used by Michigan EV owners, providing real-time data analytics and predictions to better understand the impact of EVs on the electric grid. Consumers Energy is partnering with Utilidata to deploy custom NVIDIA modules, bringing cutting-edge AI capabilities to the electric grid. Over half of the devices will be placed in economically disadvantaged communities.
This initiative aligns with Consumers Energy's Clean Energy Plan, which aims to eliminate coal as an energy source by 2025 and achieve net-zero carbon emissions.
Consumers Energy, Michigan's largest energy provider, is intensifying its efforts to improve electric grid reliability through a record-breaking inspection program. The company plans to inspect 25,500 miles of low-voltage electric lines in 2024, surpassing the Earth's circumference. This initiative is part of Consumers Energy's Reliability Roadmap, aimed at reducing power outages.
The company has been committed to visual inspections since 2022, covering half of its 51,000-mile overhead low-voltage distribution system. These inspections have led to the repair of over 17,500 issues in the past two years. Other tactics in the Roadmap include increased line clearing, new technology, more durable iron poles, and burying power lines.
Consumers Energy serves 6.8 million of Michigan's 10 million residents across all 68 Lower Peninsula counties, providing both natural gas and electricity.