In 2022, the Michigan Public Service Commission approved our Clean Energy Plan. It’s our largest stride yet in support of our Triple Bottom Line – people, planet and prosperity. The transformative 20-year blueprint positions us as an industry leader as we retire our remaining coal-fired power plants by 2025 to help us reach net zero carbon emissions by 2040. We’ll also dramatically cut water use as we transition from coal and add more clean and renewable energy like solar.
But our focus on a sustainable future extends beyond our Clean Energy Plan. We define sustainability as practices that help our communities and company thrive without putting future generations at risk. Each year, we publish our ESG and Sustainability Report to help demonstrate what we’ve achieved to support environmental, social and governance goals.
Over the past year, we also:

- Gave more than $17.5 million to Michigan nonprofits that support the planet and Michigan communities’ needs through Consumers Energy Foundation, corporate and employee and retiree donations combined.
- Saved customers nearly $821 million on their energy bills and increased customer savings $4.7 billion from 2009 through 2021 through our energy waste reduction programs. The programs give our customers more control over their monthly energy bills, enabling them to save energy and money long-term.
- Provided $4.5 million to fund a bill payment pilot program and offer other direct assistance to low-income customers struggling to pay their energy bills.
- Launched our latest employee resource group, Interfaith, to advance and accelerate belonging and address diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) gaps. Interfaith brings together employees of all beliefs, including those with no religious affiliation.
- Expanded our greenhouse gas reduction commitment and announced plans to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions from the company’s entire natural gas production and delivery system — including customers and suppliers — by 2050.
- Grew our electric vehicle (EV) fast charger network to 36 stations across the Lower Peninsula, with plans to power another 100 in the next two years to help support Michigan’s electric vehicle transformation.
- Became among the first utilities in the Midwest to publish a Climate Change Risk, Vulnerability and Resiliency Report detailing climate change risks to our infrastructure, which helps us proactively plan for future infrastructure investment needs.
- Earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2022 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year — Sustained Excellence Award, the EPA’s highest recognition for corporate energy management.
To read more about how we’re working toward a sustainable energy future for Michigan, read our CMS Energy 2022 ESG and Sustainability Report.