Heating Homes and Businesses More Safely and
Reliably While Protecting the Planet
JACKSON,
Mich., Aug. 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers
Energy announced today it has reduced methane emissions from its
30,000-mile natural gas system by 20 percent since 2012, an
important step in its plan to neutralize the impact of the
greenhouse gas – which is more potent than carbon dioxide – from
its operations by the end of the decade.
"Consumers Energy is committed to protecting the planet as we
heat nearly 2 million Michigan
homes and businesses safely and affordably this autumn and winter,"
said Christopher Fultz, Consumers
Energy's vice president of natural gas operations. "We are taking
actions every day to strengthen our system across our state and to
achieve net-zero methane emissions by 2030."
Consumers Energy received approval from the Michigan Public
Service Commission today for a settlement agreement allowing a
$95 million rate adjustment, which
will enable the work to continue reducing leaks and making its
natural gas system more safe, reliable, affordable and clean. The
improvements are part of the company's Natural Gas Delivery
Plan, a 10-year, $12 billion
blueprint to modernize the system of pipelines and storage that
delivers natural gas to homes and businesses.
Consumers Energy's efforts to reduce methane emissions in the
last decade are equivalent to removing 18,000 vehicles from the
road for a year.
Consumers Energy also has replaced more than 600 miles of
pipeline that dates back as far as the 1940s. Over one-third of
that is made of cast iron, which is more susceptible to leaks than
modern technology.
Other major components of Consumers Energy's plan include:
- Replacing thousands of the lines that connect the main arteries
of Consumers Energy's natural gas system to homes and
businesses.
- Replacing hundreds of miles of the pipeline "expressway" that
powers the natural gas system. Last year, we completed construction
of the South Oakland Macomb Network and started work on the
Mid-Michigan Pipeline this spring.
- Rehabilitating or retiring outdated infrastructure, including
transforming our natural gas compression fleet technology to
modern, efficient and clean-running equipment. That includes the
Freedom Compressor Station in Washtenaw
County, which was upgraded last year.
"Our customers look to Consumers Energy for natural gas, and we
take that responsibility seriously in our cold-weather state,"
Fultz said. "We want people to know we're making our system
stronger, safer and cleaner, and we can do that while keeping bills
affordable for people who count on us."
Changes to customer bills will take effect in October. The price
Consumers Energy residential customers pay for natural gas will
continue to be less than the national average this winter.
Consumers Energy is Michigan's
largest energy provider, providing natural gas and/or electricity
to 6.7 million of the state's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower
Peninsula counties.
For more information about Consumers Energy, go to
ConsumersEnergy.com.
Check out Consumers Energy on Social Media
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SOURCE Consumers Energy