Cover and table of contents
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Cover and table of contents
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
x ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024
OR
☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from to
| Commission File No. | Registrant; State of Incorporation; Address; and Telephone Number | IRS Employer Identification No. | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1-9513 | ![]() | CMS ENERGY CORPORATION | 38-2726431 | |||||||||||||||||
| (A Michigan Corporation) One Energy Plaza, Jackson, Michigan 49201 (517) 788-0550 |
| 1-5611 | ![]() | CONSUMERS ENERGY COMPANY | 38-0442310 | |||||||||||||||||
| (A Michigan Corporation) One Energy Plaza, Jackson, Michigan 49201 (517) 788-0550 |
| Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: | ||||||||||||||
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||||||||||||
| CMS Energy Corporation Common Stock, $0.01 par value | CMS | New York Stock Exchange | ||||||||||||
| CMS Energy Corporation 5.625% Junior Subordinated Notes due 2078 | CMSA | New York Stock Exchange | ||||||||||||
| CMS Energy Corporation 5.875% Junior Subordinated Notes due 2078 | CMSC | New York Stock Exchange | ||||||||||||
| CMS Energy Corporation 5.875% Junior Subordinated Notes due 2079 | CMSD | New York Stock Exchange | ||||||||||||
| CMS Energy Corporation Depositary Shares, each representing a 1/1,000th interest in a share of 4.200% Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series C | CMS PRC | New York Stock Exchange | ||||||||||||
| Consumers Energy Company Cumulative Preferred Stock, $100 par value: $4.50 Series | CMS-PB | New York Stock Exchange |
| Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: | None |
| Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CMS Energy Corporation: | Yes | ☒ | No | ☐ | Consumers Energy Company: | Yes | ☒ | No | ☐ |
| Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CMS Energy Corporation: | Yes | ☐ | No | ☒ | Consumers Energy Company: | Yes | ☐ | No | ☒ |
| Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CMS Energy Corporation: | Yes | ☒ | No | ☐ | Consumers Energy Company: | Yes | ☒ | No | ☐ |
| Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S‑T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CMS Energy Corporation: | Yes | ☒ | No | ☐ | Consumers Energy Company: | Yes | ☒ | No | ☐ |
| Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non‑accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b‑2 of the Exchange Act. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CMS Energy Corporation: | Consumers Energy Company: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Large accelerated filer | ☒ | Large accelerated filer | ☐ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Non‑accelerated filer | ☐ | Non‑accelerated filer | ☒ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Smaller reporting company | ☐ | Smaller reporting company | ☐ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Emerging growth company | ☐ | Emerging growth company | ☐ |
| If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CMS Energy Corporation: | ☐ | Consumers Energy Company: | ☐ |
| Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CMS Energy Corporation: | ☒ | Consumers Energy Company: | ☒ |
| If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CMS Energy Corporation: | ☐ | Consumers Energy Company: | ☐ |
| Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CMS Energy Corporation: | ☐ | Consumers Energy Company: | ☐ |
| Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b‑2 of the Exchange Act). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CMS Energy Corporation: | Yes | ☐ | No | ☒ | Consumers Energy Company: | Yes | ☐ | No | ☒ |
The aggregate market value of CMS Energy voting and non‑voting common equity held by non‑affiliates was $17.701 billion for the 297,340,567 CMS Energy Corporation Common Stock shares outstanding on June 28, 2024 based on the closing sale price of $59.53 for CMS Energy Corporation Common Stock, as reported by the New York Stock Exchange on such date. There were no shares of Consumers common equity held by non‑affiliates as of June 28, 2024.
There were 298,794,638 shares of CMS Energy Corporation Common Stock outstanding on January 17, 2025. On January 17, 2025, CMS Energy held all 84,108,789 outstanding shares of common stock of Consumers.
Documents incorporated by reference in Part III: CMS Energy’s and Consumers’ proxy statement relating to their 2025 Annual Meetings of Shareholders to be held May 2, 2025.
CMS Energy Corporation
Consumers Energy Company
Annual Reports on Form 10‑K to the Securities and Exchange Commission for the Year Ended December 31, 2024
Table of Contents
Glossary
Certain terms used in the text and financial statements are defined below.
| 2023 Form 10‑K | ||
| Each of CMS Energy’s and Consumers’ Annual Report on Form 10‑K for the year ended December 31, 2023 | ||
| 2023 Energy Law | ||
| Michigan’s Public Acts 229, 230, 231, 233, 234, and 235 of 2023 | ||
| 3G | ||
| Third generation technology | ||
| 4G | ||
| Fourth generation technology | ||
| ABATE | ||
| Association of Businesses Advocating Tariff Equity | ||
| ABO | ||
| Accumulated benefit obligation; the liabilities of a pension plan based on service and pay to date, which differs from the PBO in that it does not reflect expected future salary increases | ||
| AFUDC | ||
| Allowance for borrowed and equity funds used during construction | ||
| AOCI | ||
| Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) | ||
| ARO | ||
| Asset retirement obligation | ||
| ASC 715 | ||
| Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 715, Retirement Benefits | ||
| ASP | ||
| Appliance Service Plan | ||
| ASU | ||
| Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Update | ||
| Audit Committee | ||
| The Audit Committee of the Board, which is composed entirely of independent directors. | ||
| Aviator Wind | ||
| Aviator Wind Holdings, LLC, a VIE in which Aviator Wind Equity Holdings holds a Class B membership interest | ||
| Aviator Wind Equity Holdings | ||
| Aviator Wind Equity Holdings, LLC, a VIE in which Grand River Wind, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of NorthStar Clean Energy, has a 51‑percent interest | ||
| Bay Harbor | ||
| A residential/commercial real estate area located near Petoskey, Michigan, in which CMS Energy sold its interest in 2002 | ||
| Bcf | ||
| Billion cubic feet | ||
| Board | ||
| Board of Directors of CMS Energy and Consumers | ||
| CAO | ||
| Chief Accounting Officer | ||
| CCR | ||
| Coal combustion residual | ||
| CEO | ||
| Chief Executive Officer | ||
| CERCLA | ||
| Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended | ||
| CFO | ||
| Chief Financial Officer | ||
| CIO | ||
| Chief Information Officer | ||
| city-gate contract | ||
| An arrangement made for the point at which a local distribution company physically receives gas from a supplier or pipeline | ||
| Clean Air Act | ||
| Federal Clean Air Act of 1963, as amended | ||
| Clean Energy Plan | ||
| Consumers’ long-term strategy for delivering clean, reliable, resilient, and affordable energy to its customers; this plan was originally outlined and approved in Consumers’ 2018 integrated resource plan and subsequently updated and approved through its 2021 integrated resource plan | ||
| Clean Water Act | ||
| Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972, as amended | ||
| CMS Capital | ||
| CMS Capital, L.L.C., a wholly owned subsidiary of CMS Energy | ||
| CMS Energy | ||
| CMS Energy Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless otherwise noted; the parent of Consumers and NorthStar Clean Energy | ||
| CMS ERM | ||
| CMS Energy Resource Management Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of NorthStar Clean Energy | ||
| CMS Gas Transmission | ||
| CMS Gas Transmission Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of NorthStar Clean Energy | ||
| CMS Land | ||
| CMS Land Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of CMS Capital, L.L.C., a wholly owned subsidiary of CMS Energy | ||
| Consumers | ||
| Consumers Energy Company and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless otherwise noted; a wholly owned subsidiary of CMS Energy | ||
| Consumers 2014 Securitization Funding | ||
| Consumers 2014 Securitization Funding LLC, a wholly owned consolidated bankruptcy-remote subsidiary of Consumers and special-purpose entity organized for the sole purpose of purchasing and owning securitization property, issuing securitization bonds, and pledging its interest in securitization property to a trustee to collateralize the securitization bonds | ||
| Consumers 2023 Securitization Funding | ||
| Consumers 2023 Securitization Funding LLC, a wholly owned consolidated bankruptcy-remote subsidiary of Consumers and special-purpose entity organized for the sole purpose of purchasing and owning securitization property, issuing securitization bonds, and pledging its interest in securitization property to a trustee to collateralize the securitization bonds | ||
| Covert Generating Station | ||
| A 1,200-MW natural gas-fueled generation station that was acquired by Consumers in May 2023 from New Covert Generating Company, LLC, a non-affiliated company | ||
| Craven | ||
| Craven County Wood Energy Limited Partnership, a VIE in which HYDRA‑CO Enterprises, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of NorthStar Clean Energy, has a 50‑percent interest | ||
| CSAPR | ||
| Cross-State Air Pollution Rule of 2011, as amended | ||
| DB Pension Plan A | ||
| Defined benefit pension plan of CMS Energy and Consumers, including certain present and former affiliates and subsidiaries, created as of December 31, 2017 for active employees who were covered under the defined benefit pension plan that closed in 2005 | ||
| DB Pension Plan B | ||
| Defined benefit pension plan of CMS Energy and Consumers, including certain present and former affiliates and subsidiaries, amended as of December 31, 2017 to include only retired and former employees who were covered under the defined benefit pension plan that closed in 2005 | ||
| DB Pension Plans | ||
| Defined benefit pension plans of CMS Energy and Consumers, comprising DB Pension Plan A and DB Pension Plan B | ||
| DB SERP | ||
| Defined Benefit Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan | ||
| DCCP | ||
| Defined Company Contribution Plan | ||
| DC SERP | ||
| Defined Contribution Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan | ||
| DIG | ||
| Dearborn Industrial Generation, L.L.C., a wholly owned subsidiary of Dearborn Industrial Energy, L.L.C., a wholly owned subsidiary of NorthStar Clean Energy | ||
| Dodd-Frank Act | ||
| Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 | ||
| DTE Electric | ||
| DTE Electric Company, a non‑affiliated company | ||
| EEI | ||
| Edison Electric Institute, an association representing all U.S. investor-owned electric companies | ||
| EGLE | ||
| Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy | ||
| Endangered Species Act | ||
| Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended | ||
| EnerBank | ||
| EnerBank USA, a wholly owned subsidiary of CMS Capital until October 1, 2021 | ||
| energy waste reduction | ||
| The reduction of energy consumption through energy efficiency and demand-side energy conservation, as established under Michigan law | ||
| EPA | ||
| U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | ||
| EPS | ||
| Earnings per share | ||
| ERCOT | ||
| Electric Reliability Council of Texas | ||
| Exchange Act | ||
| Securities Exchange Act of 1934 | ||
| Federal Power Act | ||
| Federal Power Act of 1920 | ||
| FERC | ||
| Federal Energy Regulatory Commission | ||
| First Mortgage Bond Indenture | ||
| Indenture dated as of September 1, 1945 between Consumers and The Bank of New York Mellon, as Trustee, as amended and supplemented | ||
| FTR | ||
| Financial transmission right | ||
| GAAP | ||
| U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles | ||
| GCC | ||
| Gas Customer Choice, which allows gas customers to purchase gas from alternative suppliers | ||
| GCR | ||
| Gas cost recovery | ||
| Genesee | ||
| Genesee Power Station Limited Partnership, a VIE in which HYDRA‑CO Enterprises, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of NorthStar Clean Energy, has a 50‑percent interest | ||
| Good Neighbor Plan | ||
| A plan issued by the EPA which secures significant reductions in ozone-forming emissions of NOx from power plants and industrial facilities | ||
| Grayling | ||
| Grayling Generating Station Limited Partnership, a VIE in which HYDRA‑CO Enterprises, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of NorthStar Clean Energy, has a 50‑percent interest | ||
| GWh | ||
| Gigawatt-hour, a unit of energy equal to one billion watt-hours | ||
| Internal Revenue Code | ||
| Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended | ||
| IRS | ||
| Internal Revenue Service | ||
| kV | ||
| Thousand volts, a unit used to measure the difference in electrical pressure along a current | ||
| kVA | ||
| Thousand volt-amperes, a unit used to reflect the electrical power capacity rating of equipment or a system | ||
| kWh | ||
| Kilowatt-hour, a unit of energy equal to one thousand watt-hours | ||
| Ludington | ||
| Ludington pumped-storage plant, jointly owned by Consumers and DTE Electric | ||
| MATS | ||
| Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, which limit mercury, acid gases, and other toxic pollution from coal‑fueled and oil‑fueled power plants | ||
| MCV Facility | ||
| A 1,647-MW natural gas-fueled, combined-cycle cogeneration facility operated by the MCV Partnership | ||
| MCV Partnership | ||
| Midland Cogeneration Venture Limited Partnership, a non-affiliated company | ||
| MCV PPA | ||
| PPA between Consumers and the MCV Partnership | ||
| METC | ||
| Michigan Electric Transmission Company, LLC, a non‑affiliated company | ||
| MGP | ||
| Manufactured gas plant | ||
| Migratory Bird Treaty Act | ||
| Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, as amended | ||
| MISO | ||
| Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. | ||
| mothball | ||
| To place a generating unit into a state of extended reserve shutdown in which the unit is inactive and unavailable for service for a specified period, during which the unit can be brought back into service after receiving appropriate notification and completing any necessary maintenance or other work; generation owners in MISO must request approval to mothball a unit, and MISO then evaluates the request for reliability impacts | ||
| MPSC | ||
| Michigan Public Service Commission | ||
| MRV | ||
| Market-related value of plan assets | ||
| MW | ||
| Megawatt, a unit of power equal to one million watts | ||
| MWh | ||
| Megawatt-hour, a unit of energy equal to one million watt-hours | ||
| NAAQS | ||
| National Ambient Air Quality Standards | ||
| Natural Gas Act | ||
| Natural Gas Act of 1938 | ||
| NERC | ||
| North American Electric Reliability Corporation, a non‑affiliated company responsible for developing and enforcing reliability standards, monitoring the bulk power system, and educating and certifying industry personnel | ||
| Newport Solar Holdings | ||
| Newport Solar Holdings III, LLC, a VIE in which Newport Solar Equity Holdings LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Grand River Solar, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of NorthStar Clean Energy, holds a Class B membership interest | ||
| NorthStar Clean Energy | ||
| NorthStar Clean Energy Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of CMS Energy, formerly known as CMS Enterprises Company | ||
| NOx | ||
| Nitrogen oxides | ||
| NPDES | ||
| National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, a permit system for regulating point sources of pollution under the Clean Water Act | ||
| NREPA | ||
| Part 201 of Michigan’s Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act of 1994, as amended | ||
| NWO Holdco | ||
| NWO Holdco, L.L.C., a VIE in which NWO Holdco I, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Grand River Wind, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of NorthStar Clean Energy, holds a Class B membership interest | ||
| OPEB | ||
| Other post-employment benefits | ||
| OPEB Plan | ||
| Postretirement health care and life insurance plans of CMS Energy and Consumers, including certain present and former affiliates and subsidiaries | ||
| OSHA | ||
| Occupational Safety and Health Administration | ||
| PBO | ||
| Projected benefit obligation | ||
| PCB | ||
| Polychlorinated biphenyl | ||
| PFAS | ||
| Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances | ||
| PISP | ||
| Performance Incentive Stock Plan | ||
| PJM | ||
| PJM Interconnection Inc. | ||
| PPA | ||
| Power purchase agreement | ||
| PSCR | ||
| Power supply cost recovery | ||
| PURPA | ||
| Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 | ||
| RCRA | ||
| Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 | ||
| REC | ||
| Renewable energy credit | ||
| Reliability Roadmap | ||
| Consumers’ five-year strategy to improve its electric distribution system and the reliability of the grid; this plan was filed with the MPSC in 2023, and is an update to Consumers’ previous Electric Distribution Infrastructure Investment Plan filed in 2021 | ||
| ROA | ||
| Retail Open Access, which allows electric generation customers to choose alternative electric suppliers pursuant to Michigan’s Public Acts 141 and 142 of 2000, as amended | ||
| S&P | ||
| Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC | ||
| SEC | ||
| U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission | ||
| securitization | ||
| A financing method authorized by statute and approved by the MPSC which allows a utility to sell its right to receive a portion of the rate payments received from its customers for the repayment of securitization bonds issued by a special-purpose entity affiliated with such utility | ||
| SOFR | ||
| Secured overnight financing rate calculated and published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York | ||
| TAES | ||
| Toshiba America Energy Systems Corporation, a non-affiliated company | ||
| TBJH | ||
| TBJH Inc., a non-affiliated company | ||
| TCJA | ||
| Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 | ||
| Term SOFR | ||
| The rate per annum that is a forward-looking term rate based on SOFR | ||
| T.E.S. Filer City | ||
| T.E.S. Filer City Station Limited Partnership, a VIE in which HYDRA‑CO Enterprises, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of NorthStar Clean Energy, has a 50‑percent interest | ||
| Toshiba | ||
| Toshiba Corporation, a non-affiliated company | ||
| USW | ||
| United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, AFL-CIO-CLC | ||
| UWUA | ||
| Utility Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO | ||
| VEBA trust | ||
| Voluntary employees’ beneficiary association trusts accounts established specifically to set aside employer-contributed assets to pay for future expenses of the OPEB Plan | ||
| VIE | ||
| Variable interest entity | ||
| Wolverine Power | ||
| Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative, Inc., a non-affiliated company | ||
Filing Format
This combined Form 10‑K is separately filed by CMS Energy and Consumers. Information in this combined Form 10‑K relating to each individual registrant is filed by such registrant on its own behalf. Consumers makes no representation regarding information relating to any other companies affiliated with CMS Energy other than its own subsidiaries.
CMS Energy is the parent holding company of several subsidiaries, including Consumers and NorthStar Clean Energy. None of CMS Energy, NorthStar Clean Energy, nor any of CMS Energy’s other subsidiaries (other than Consumers) has any obligation in respect of Consumers’ debt securities or preferred stock and holders of such securities should not consider the financial resources or results of operations of CMS Energy, NorthStar Clean Energy, nor any of CMS Energy’s other subsidiaries (other than Consumers and its own subsidiaries (in relevant circumstances)) in making a decision with respect to Consumers’ debt securities or preferred stock. Similarly, neither Consumers nor any other subsidiary of CMS Energy has any obligation in respect of securities of CMS Energy.
Forward-looking Statements and Information
This Form 10‑K and other CMS Energy and Consumers disclosures may contain forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The use of “anticipates,” “assumes,” “believes,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “forecasts,” “goals,” “guidance,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “objectives,” “plans,” “possible,” “potential,” “predicts,” “projects,” “seeks,” “should,” “targets,” “will,” and other similar words is intended to identify forward-looking statements that involve risk and uncertainty. This discussion of potential risks and uncertainties is designed to highlight important factors that may impact CMS Energy’s and Consumers’ businesses and financial outlook. CMS Energy and Consumers have no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements regardless of whether new information, future events, or any other factors affect the information contained in the statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to various factors that could cause CMS Energy’s and Consumers’ actual results to differ materially from the results anticipated in these statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, the following, all of which are potentially significant:
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the impact and effect of recent events, such as worsening trade relations, geopolitical tensions, war, acts of terrorism, and the responses to these events, and related economic disruptions including, but not limited to, inflation, energy price volatility, and supply chain disruptions
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the impact of new regulation by the MPSC, FERC, and other applicable governmental proceedings and regulations, including any associated impact on electric or gas rates or rate structures
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potentially adverse regulatory treatment, effects of a failure to receive timely regulatory orders that are or could come before the MPSC, FERC, or other governmental authorities, or effects of a government shutdown
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changes in the performance of or regulations applicable to MISO, METC, pipelines, railroads, vessels, or other service providers that CMS Energy, Consumers, or any of their affiliates rely on to serve their customers
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the adoption of or challenges to federal or state laws or regulations or changes in applicable laws, rules, regulations, principles, or practices, or in their interpretation, such as those related to energy policy, ROA, the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978, infrastructure integrity or security, cybersecurity, gas pipeline safety, gas pipeline capacity, energy waste reduction, the
financial compensation mechanism, the environment, regulation or deregulation, reliability, health care reforms, taxes, accounting matters, climate change, air emissions, renewable energy, the Dodd-Frank Act, and other business issues that could have an impact on CMS Energy’s, Consumers’, or any of their affiliates’ businesses or financial results
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factors affecting, disrupting, interrupting, or otherwise impacting CMS Energy’s or Consumers’ facilities, utility infrastructure, operations, or backup systems, such as costs and availability of personnel, equipment, and materials; weather and climate, including catastrophic weather-related damage and extreme temperatures; natural disasters; fires; smoke; scheduled or unscheduled equipment outages; maintenance or repairs; contractor performance; environmental incidents; failures of equipment or materials; electric transmission and distribution or gas pipeline system constraints; interconnection requirements; political and social unrest; general strikes; the government and/or paramilitary response to political or social events; changes in trade policies, regulations, or tariffs; accidents; explosions; physical disasters; global pandemics; cyber incidents; physical or cyber attacks; vandalism; war or terrorism; and the ability to obtain or maintain insurance coverage for these events
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the ability of CMS Energy and Consumers to execute cost-reduction strategies and/or convert economic development opportunities
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potentially adverse regulatory or legal interpretations or decisions regarding environmental matters, or delayed regulatory treatment or permitting decisions that are or could come before agencies such as EGLE, the EPA, FERC, and/or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and potential environmental remediation costs associated with these interpretations or decisions, including those that may affect Consumers’ coal ash management or routine maintenance, repair, and replacement classification under New Source Review, a construction-permitting program under the Clean Air Act
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changes in energy markets, including availability, price, and seasonality of electric capacity and energy and the timing and extent of changes in commodity prices and availability and deliverability of coal, natural gas, natural gas liquids, electricity, oil, gasoline, diesel fuel, and certain related products
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the price of CMS Energy common stock, the credit ratings of CMS Energy and Consumers, capital and financial market conditions, and the effect of these market conditions on CMS Energy’s and Consumers’ interest costs and access to the capital markets, including availability of financing to CMS Energy, Consumers, or any of their affiliates
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the ability of CMS Energy and Consumers to execute their financing strategies
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the investment performance of the assets of CMS Energy’s and Consumers’ pension and benefit plans, the discount rates, mortality assumptions, and future medical costs used in calculating the plans’ obligations, and the resulting impact on future funding requirements
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the impact of the economy, particularly in Michigan, and potential future volatility in the financial and credit markets on CMS Energy’s, Consumers’, or any of their affiliates’ revenues, ability to collect accounts receivable from customers, or cost and availability of capital
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changes in the economic and financial viability of CMS Energy’s and Consumers’ suppliers, customers, and other counterparties and the continued ability of these third parties, including those in bankruptcy, to meet their obligations to CMS Energy and Consumers
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population changes in the geographic areas where CMS Energy and Consumers conduct business
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national, regional, and local economic, competitive, and regulatory policies, conditions, and developments
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loss of customer demand for electric generation supply to alternative electric suppliers, the creation of municipal utilities, increased use of self-generation including distributed generation, energy waste reduction, or energy storage
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loss of customer demand for natural gas due to alternative technologies or fuels or electrification
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the ability of Consumers to meet increased renewable energy demand due to customers seeking to meet their own sustainability goals in a timely and cost-efficient manner
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the reputational or other impact on CMS Energy and Consumers of the failure to meet the renewable or clean energy standards required by the 2023 Energy Law or to achieve or make timely progress on their greenhouse gas reduction goals related to reducing their impact on climate change
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adverse consequences of employee, director, or third‑party fraud or non‑compliance with codes of conduct or with laws or regulations
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federal regulation of electric sales, including periodic re‑examination by federal regulators of CMS Energy’s and Consumers’ market-based sales authorizations
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any event, change, development, occurrence, or circumstance that could impact the implementation of the Clean Energy Plan, including any action by a regulatory authority or other third party to prohibit, delay, or impair the implementation of the Clean Energy Plan
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the ability to meet increases in electric demand associated with data centers
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the availability, cost, coverage, and terms of insurance, the stability of insurance providers, and the ability of Consumers to recover the costs of any insurance from customers
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the effectiveness of CMS Energy’s and Consumers’ risk management policies, procedures, and strategies, including strategies to hedge risk related to interest rates and future prices of electricity, natural gas, and other energy-related commodities
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factors affecting development of electric generation projects, gas transmission, and gas and electric distribution infrastructure replacement, conversion, and expansion projects, including factors related to project site identification, construction material availability and pricing, tariffs, embargoes on equipment, supply chain disruptions, schedule delays, interconnection delays, availability of qualified construction personnel, permitting, acquisition of property rights, community opposition, environmental regulations, and government actions
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changes or disruption in fuel supply, including but not limited to supplier bankruptcy and delivery disruptions
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potential costs, lost revenues, reputational harm, or other consequences resulting from misappropriation of assets or sensitive information, corruption of data, or operational disruption in connection with a cyberattack or other cyber incident
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potential disruption to, interruption or failure of, or other impacts on information technology backup or disaster recovery systems
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technological developments in energy production, storage, delivery, usage, and metering
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the ability to implement and integrate technology successfully, including artificial intelligence
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the impact of CMS Energy’s and Consumers’ integrated business software system and its effects on their operations, including utility customer billing and collections
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adverse consequences resulting from any past, present, or future assertion of indemnity or warranty claims associated with assets and businesses previously owned by CMS Energy or Consumers, including claims resulting from attempts by foreign or domestic governments to assess taxes on or to impose environmental liability associated with past operations or transactions
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the outcome, cost, and other effects of any legal or administrative claims, proceedings, investigations, or settlements
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the reputational impact on CMS Energy and Consumers of operational incidents, violations of corporate policies, regulatory violations, inappropriate use of social media, and other events
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restrictions imposed by various financing arrangements and regulatory requirements on the ability of Consumers and other subsidiaries of CMS Energy to transfer funds to CMS Energy in the form of cash dividends, loans, or advances
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earnings volatility resulting from the application of fair value accounting to certain energy commodity contracts or interest rate contracts
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changes in financial or regulatory accounting principles or policies
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other matters that may be disclosed from time to time in CMS Energy’s and Consumers’ SEC filings, or in other public documents
All forward-looking statements should be considered in the context of the risk and other factors described above and as detailed from time to time in CMS Energy’s and Consumers’ SEC filings. For additional details regarding these and other uncertainties, see Item 1A. Risk Factors; Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Outlook; and Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data—Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements—Note 2, Regulatory Matters and Note 3, Contingencies and Commitments.
Part I

