Consumers Energy signed a purchase agreement in September 2025 to sell 13 hydroelectric dams along five Michigan rivers to Confluence Hydro. The sale aims to reduce long-term costs for Consumers customers. Confluence would provide power generated by the dams to Consumers customers for the next 30 years.
While state and federal regulators continue reviewing the sale, Consumers has proposed a $270 million Hydro Safety Fund addressing unforeseen safety issues when Confluence takes ownership. Shareholders would financially support the fund, money that would otherwise have been retained from the sale. The state would administer the fund.
According to a GQR survey of 600 Michigan residents, 63% of those polled supported selling the dams, with 60% saying they have a favorable view of the dams and 77% stating it’s their preferred energy source.
Should the sale be denied, Consumers says it will decommission the dams, remove them and drain the reservoirs, significantly changing waterfront areas.
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