CMS Energy Corporation - Water Security 2022
(W0.1) Give a general description of and introduction to your organization.
CMS Energy Corporation (CMS Energy) is an energy company operating primarily in Michigan. It is the parent holding company of several subsidiaries, including its principal subsidiary, Consumers Energy Company (Consumers Energy or Company), an electric and natural gas utility and CMS Enterprises Company (CMS Enterprises), primarily a domestic independent power producer and marketer. Consumers Energy's electric utility operations include the generation, purchase, distribution, and sale of electricity, and its gas utility operations include the purchase, transmission, storage, distribution, and sale of natural gas. Consumers Energy serves about 6.8 million of Michigan's 10 million residents. CMS Enterprises, through its subsidiaries and equity investments, is engaged in domestic independent power production, including the development and operation of renewable generation and marketing of independent power production. CMS Energy was also the parent holding company of EnerBank USA® (EnerBank) until October 1, 2021 when EnerBank was acquired by Regions Bank. This report is ONLY for the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy, Consumers Energy.
Consumers Energy acknowledges that the long-term sustainability of our Company depends upon our ability to listen to our stakeholders and conduct business that promotes environmental health, increases societal value, and brings economic success so that we can provide safe, reliable, and affordable energy to our customers. This commitment is advanced by our focus on the triple bottom line: people, planet and prosperity.
In 2018, Consumers Energy committed to a set of Corporate Planet Breakthrough Goal to save 1 billion gallons of water through 2022.
(W-EU0.1a) Which activities in the electric utilities sector does your organization engage in?
(W-EU0.1b) For your electricity generation activities, provide details of your nameplate capacity and the generation for each technology.
Fossil-fuel plants fitted with carbon capture and storage
(W0.2) State the start and end date of the year for which you are reporting data.
(W0.3) Select the countries/areas in which you operate.
(W0.4) Select the currency used for all financial information disclosed throughout your response.
(W0.5) Select the option that best describes the reporting boundary for companies, entities, or groups for which water impacts on your business are being reported.
Companies, entities or groups over which financial control is exercised
(W0.6) Within this boundary, are there any geographies, facilities, water aspects, or other exclusions from your disclosure?
(W0.6a) Please report the exclusions.
This report focuses on Consumers Energy's largest sources of water withdrawals, our steam electric power generating facilities which operate under National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System (NPDES) permits and comprise a majority of our water use. Our hydroelectric plants and Ludington Pumped Storage Facility are not included in this report.
This report focuses on Consumers Energy's largest sources of water withdrawals, our steam electric power generating facilities which operate under National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System permits and comprise a majority of our water use. Therefore, our electric distribution operations are not included in this report.
This report focuses on Consumers Energy's largest sources of water withdrawals, our steam electric power generating facilities which operate under National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System permits and comprise a majority of our water use. Therefore, our natural gas compressor stations are not included in this report.
This report focuses on Consumers Energy's largest sources of water withdrawals, our steam electric power generating facilities which operate under National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System permits and comprise a majority of our water use. Therefore, our service centers, call centers and office buildings are not included in this report.
This report focuses on Consumers Energy's largest sources of water withdrawals, our steam electric power generating facilities which operate under National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System permits and comprise a majority of our water use. Therefore, non-utility operations are not included in this report.
(W0.7) Does your organization have an ISIN code or another unique identifier (e.g., Ticker, CUSIP, etc.)?
Indicate whether you are able to provide a unique identifier for your organization.
(W1.1) Rate the importance (current and future) of water quality and water quantity to the success of your business.
Direct Use: Quality freshwater from nearby lakes, rivers, and groundwater is withdrawn primarily for non-contact cooling purposes. In addition, water quality is important in
steam generation as specific chemicals, including some salts, can result in boiler and condenser tube/pipe corrosion over time. This use is rated as "vital for operations"
because without this water input, our steam electric generating facilities would not be able to operate as currently configured. While our intake systems can accommodate
moderate fluctuations in water levels, maintaining historic lake and river levels is important to ongoing utilization of our current water intake infrastructure without
significant and costly modification through 2025 for coal generation. Indirect Use: This use is rated as "important" because freshwater is essential to fuel exploration,
production, and processing, which is vital to our operations.
Direct: Recycled water is used for non-contact cooling and other plant processes and reduces the amount of freshwater withdrawn for these uses. Two of our generating
facilities use primarily recycled water for condenser cooling. Indirect Use: This use is rated as "important" because recycling and reusing water is essential for fuel
exploration, production, and processing, particularly in arid climates with less freshwater availability.
(W1.2) Across all your operations, what proportion of the following water aspects are regularly measured and monitored?
Water withdrawn is monitored at 100% of sites (steam electric generating facilities) due to the vital importance of water to site operations and to track
potential environmental risks. Water withdrawal volumes are required to be reported in a number of programs including water stewardship tracking, annual
reporting of water usage to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), and annual reporting to the United States
Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration Form 923 Supplemental
Water withdrawn from surface water, groundwater and municipal sources is monitored at 100% of sites (steam electric generating facilities) for the
purposes of tracking water quality and availability from local systems.
with your metals & mining
with your oil & gas sector
[only oil and gas sector]
Water withdrawal quality is monitored at 100% of sites (steam electric generation) to determine the necessary level of treatment required for use.
Water discharge volumes are monitored at 100% of sites (steam electric generating facilities) due to the vital importance of water to site operations and to
track potential environmental risks. Water discharge volumes are required to be reported in a number of programs including water quality monitoring
associated with site NPDES permits, annual reporting of water usage to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), and
annual reporting for the United States Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration Form 923 Supplemental.
Water volume discharged by destinations, including Great Lakes, inland lakes, rivers, ground and municipal water systems, is tracked for 100% of sites
(steam electric generating facilities) for purposes of ensuring minimal adverse impact to local ecosystems and ensuring the majority of water withdrawn is
returned to the watershed. Additionally, these volumes are required to be reported for water quality monitoring associated with site NPDES permits, annual
reporting of water usage to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), and annual reporting for the United States
Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration Form 923 Supplemental.
Water discharged following different treatment methods is tracked for 100% of sites (steam electric generating facilities) to monitor treatment system
effectiveness and capacity as well as for required water quality monitoring associated with site NPDES permits.
Water discharge quality - by
Water discharge quality is monitored at 100% of sites (steam electric generating facilities) for compliance with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES) surface water discharge permits as well as state-issued groundwater permits.
Water discharge quality, including temperature, is monitored at 100% of sites (steam electric generating facilities) for compliance with National Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) surface water discharge permits as well as state-issued groundwater permits.
Water consumption is tracked at 100% of sites (steam electric generating facilities) in order to track consumptive losses through once-through cooling and
cooling tower systems and makeup water needs to those systems. Consumptive losses are typically through evaporative losses or discharges to
Water recycled/reused is tracked at approximately 50% of sites (steam electric generating facilities) as part of the company-wide water savings goal.
Water reuse at our coal fired generating plants include reusing once through cooling water for makeup water needs in the air quality control systems and
routing stormwater runoff from coal pile storage to be reused as condenser cooling water onsite.
Fully-functioning WASH services are provided for workers at 100% of sites (steam electric generating facilities) and are monitored for usage. Potable
sources include groundwater wells and municipal sources, and usage from these sources is required to be reported through municipal water utility
discharge permits, annual reporting of water usage to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), and annual reporting
for the United States Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration Form 923 Supplemental.
(W1.2b) What are the total volumes of water withdrawn, discharged, and consumed across all your operations, and how do these volumes compare to the previous reporting year?
Total water withdrawals in 2021 for the Consumers Energy steam electric generating fleet were 13% higher than the withdrawals for
Total water discharges in 2021 for the Consumers Energy steam electric generating fleet were 13% higher than the withdrawals for
Total water consumption in 2021 for the Consumers Energy steam electric generating fleet was approximately 19% higher than the
(W1.2d) Indicate whether water is withdrawn from areas with water stress and provide the proportion.
Withdrawals are from areas with
According to the WRI Aqueduct tool, the baseline water stress near Consumers
Energy generating facilities are low.
(W1.2h) Provide total water withdrawal data by source.
Fresh surface water, including rainwater, water from
Surface Water was withdrawn for cooling water purposes. Consumers Energy
Consumers Energy electric generation operations are not near brackish
Process groundwater usage was 42% higher than 2020.
Consumers Energy electric generation operations do not withdraw groundwater
Consumers Energy electric generation operations do not produce well production
Municipal water was withdrawn for cooling water purposes. Consumers Energy
(W1.2i) Provide total water discharge data by destination.
The electric generating plants which discharge water from surface water sources discharged 13% more
Consumers Energy electric generation operations are not near brackish surface/seawater.
The electric generating plants which discharge water from groundwater sources discharged 22% more
The electric generating plants which discharge water from municipal sources discharged 31% more in
(W1.2j) Within your direct operations, indicate the highest level(s) to which you treat your discharge.
Consumers Energy does not use tertiary treatment on discharge
Consumers Energy does not use secondary treatment on
Consumers Energy uses settling basins, tanks and ditches for
primary treatment on discharge water.
Consumers Energy does not use discharges to the natural
environment without treatment in the electrical generation process
Discharge to a third party
Consumers Energy uses municipal wastewater treatment plants for
third party treatment of discharge water.
(W1.3) Provide a figure for your organization's total water withdrawal efficiency.
Consumers Energy expects to see a substantial decrease in water use over the next 5 years as we retire our coal generation sites. This
will contribute to an increase in water withdrawal efficiency.
(W-EU1.3) Do you calculate water intensity for your electricity generation activities?
(W-EU1.3a) Provide the following intensity information associated with your electricity generation activities.
The increase in water intensity can be accounted for by the increased surface water and groundwater withdrawals in
(W1.4) Do you engage with your value chain on water-related issues?
Yes, our customers or other value chain partners
(W1.4a) What proportion of suppliers do you request to report on their water use, risks and/or management information and what proportion of your procurement spend does this represent?
The Company is developing procedures to request and document information from its largest suppliers, on a cost basis, to discern if the supplier has the potential to negatively impact the environment, if an environmental management system has been implemented and whether cost effective measures to avoid pollution have been implemented. In addition, the Company tracks environmental regulations and rulemakings to ensure compliance with emerging contaminants.
Impact of the engagement and measures of success
Supplier surveys on environmental management and water-related metrics allow the Company to evaluate supplier performance in key sustainability areas and provides context for pursuing further engagement with suppliers in these areas.
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Consumers Energy Co. published this content on 11 August 2022 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 11 August 2022 15:46:09 UTC.