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Consumers Energy to provide businesses with 100 percent renewable energy starting with Switch

Consumers Energy is proposing a program that will help large Michigan businesses use renewable energy to power their companies. If the Michigan Public Service Commission approves the proposal, Consumers Energy's first large business customer would be the 1.8 million-square-foot Switch data center campus housed in the former Steelcase pyramid. Officials said it will run on 100 percent renewable energy.

“We are really excited to be able to deliver energy to some of Michigan’s businesses in this new way of approaching it with renewable energy," Consumer's Energy senior vice president Garrick Rochow said. "From our commitment to the planet, we are committed to providing sustainable, clean energy for Michigan.”

Switch executive vice president Adam Kramer says the energy will come from a wind turbine farm in Tuscola County that Switch will help Consumer’s Energy build.

“That was a key in developing this with Consumers Energy was finding a way that we could help support the construction of a new renewable energy project, which is exactly what we are doing," Kramer said. "The new wind project will support our facility with 100 percent green energy from the facility.”

According to a recent Bloomberg report, nearly 50 percent of Fortune 500 companies have made a commitment to switching to renewable energy or to some form of sustainability. Rochow says, providing renewable energy hopefully encourages growing companies to consider Michigan as their home.

“Clearly, if there are companies that are growing and taking a position around clean energy, we want them to locate here in Michigan. So we see this as a big boost for Michigan, and a big boost for economic development,” Rochow said.

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