Consumers Energy commissions 76 MW Cross Winds III wind farm in Tuscola County

Consumers Energy' Cross Winds Energy Park Phase III in Tuscola County has begun serving customers and contributing 76 new megawatts of clean, renewable energy in Michigan.

Consumers Energy's Clean Energy Plan calls for the energy provider to meet 90 percent of customers' electricity capacity needs by 2040 through clean energy resources like renewable energy, energy waste reduction and energy storage. The plan also calls for eliminating coal as a fuel source and reducing carbon emissions by 90 percent during that time period.

The US$150 million Cross Winds Phase III that began commercial operations has employed over 250 workers during the project's construction. Its 33 GE turbines' 76 megawatt capacity is enough to serve about 30,000 residents.

The three phases of Cross Winds Energy Park are comprised of 114 total wind turbines with a combined capacity of 231 megawatts, or enough to serve about 90,000 residents. That is the environmental equivalent of taking over 179,000 cars off roads. Phase I began operations in December of 2014 and Phase II began in January of 2018.