This week’s Coldwater Chamber of Commerce “Member Spotlight of the Week” recognition is going out to Consumers Energy. Read more below about the latest news from Michigan’s largest utility.
 
Consumers Energy recently cut the ribbon on a new $9 million environmentally friendly service center in Coldwater.
 
Located on Jonesville Road between Michigan Avenue and I-69, the 23,277-square-foot, LEED-certified service center features exterior solar generation, electric vehicle charging stations, and exterior light pollution reduction and daylight controls that reduce use of artificial lighting.
 
It currently houses approximately 30 electric service, maintenance, fleet and office employees and is centrally located to promote quicker customer service and storm response.
 
We are especially proud to report that our Electric Lines team from the Coldwater Service Center, due to their intense focus on working safely, has gone five consecutive years without a reportable incident on the job. A fantastic accomplishment.
 
We are also proud that Consumers Energy this year became the first MI utility to receive approval of our multi-year Clean energy Plan which details our energy vision and plan to meet our customers’ energy needs with 90 percent clean energy resources by 2040. To learn more about the plan visit ConsumersEnergy.com/cleanenergyplan. Our CEO Patti Poppe will be speaking about the plan and its importance to Michigan at a free breakfast meeting in Battle Creek on Oct. 17^th. If you are interested in attending please contact Greg Moore at 269 969-8566 for more details.
 
In keeping with our commitment to clean energy, we announced last week the signing of a 20-year agreement with Ranger Power to purchase 100 megawatts, or 2/3 of the power output, from the soon-to-be-constructed River Fork Solar facility just north of Albion, MI. The project is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 244,000 tons each year, which is equivalent to the yearly emissions of 77,702 cars. 
 
Finally, our commitment to helping our state and communities grow and prosper was also recognized earlier this month by Site Selection Magazine who named Consumers Energy one of the Top U.S. Utilities in Economic Development. The company ranked in the elite Top 20 out of nearly 3,300 electric utilities nationwide.
 
In a time of unprecedented change in the energy industry, Consumers Energy is at the forefront in helping to reshape Michigan’s energy future and taking the lead on what it means to run a clean and lean energy company.