Consumers Energy signed a deal with General Electric (GE) for 62 wind turbine generators for the planned Cross Winds Energy Park in Tuscola County, Michigan.
GE will supply the wind turbine units, which have a capacity of 1.7 MW each, for the wind power project. The project is scheduled for a late 2014 completion. Total installed generation capacity of all 62 units is 105.4 MW.
The contract, awarded as part of a competitive bid process, still requires approval of the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC), obtaining a special use permit from Columbia and Akron townships in Tuscola County, and executing an interconnect agreement with the Midcontinent Independent System Operator Inc. (MISO) and International Transmission Co. (ITC).
Consumers Energy recently issued a request for proposal for the balance of a plant engineering, procurement and construction contract for the Cross Winds project.
Consumers Energy estimates that about 155 jobs will be created for Cross Winds construction, expected to begin later this year. The company is working to qualify for the federal production tax credit for wind projects to reduce the costs and provide savings for its electric customers.
Consumers Energy, a unit of CMS Energy (CMS), provides natural gas and electricity to 6.6 million of Michigan’s 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.
