Consumers Energy gives regulators until Dec. 17 to rule on selling 13 Michigan dams, including Hardy, Croton and Rogers on the Muskegon River

MUSKEGON — Consumers Energy has given state regulators more time to decide whether it can sell its 13 hydroelectric dams, including the three big dams on the Muskegon River, to a private buyer.

The Jackson-based utility said Tuesday it moved the Michigan Public Service Commission’s deadline for a decision from Nov. 9 to Dec. 17. Consumers said the extra five-plus weeks are meant to let it keep working with other parties toward a settlement.

“We continue to work with others to find solutions to ensure these dams will continue to operate safely and responsibly for years to come,” the company said in its announcement. It added that some parties “have publicly opposed continuing settlement efforts” and that it “respectfully disagrees.”

What the deal would do

Consumers filed an agreement last year to sell the dams on five rivers to Confluence Hydro, a subsidiary of the investment firm Hull Street Energy, and to buy the electricity they generate. The utility says the deal gives the buyer a reason to keep all 13 dams in place for at least 30 years and would save its customers about $500 million compared with taking the dams out.

Confluence would pay $1 per dam, WHTC reported in a story carried by WKZO. Consumers would buy the power back at a starting rate of $160 per megawatt-hour, about double the current rate, with a 2.5% increase each year over the 30-year contract. If that increase compounds yearly, the price would pass $320 per megawatt-hour by the final year, by our calculation.

The dams in the package are Hardy, Croton and Rogers on the Muskegon River; Calkins Bridge on the Kalamazoo River, which forms Lake Allegan; Webber on the Grand River; Hodenpyl and Tippy on the Manistee River; and Mio, Alcona, Loud, Foote, Cooke and Five Channels on the Au Sable River, according to a summary from Hyperlocal Loop.

Who opposes it

Opponents, led by Attorney General Dana Nessel and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, argue that private equity ownership could lead to “catastrophic” dam failures and that the deal lacks enough financial safeguards for upkeep, WKZO reported.

“We are providing for a little more time to reach a constructive agreement that will be a win for our customers, Michigan, and the communities we care about,” Chris Fultz, Consumers’ senior vice president of electric supply, told WJRT.

Confluence Hydro spokesperson Natalie Joubert told the station the company remains “committed to investing in, relicensing and safely maintaining the 13 hydroelectric dams.”

What’s next

The commission now has until Dec. 17 to rule. For Muskegon River communities, the outcome decides who owns and runs Hardy, Croton and Rogers, and what Consumers customers pay for the power the 13 dams make over the next three decades.

Sources:
Consumers Energy via PR Newswire, “Consumers Energy Provides State Regulators More Time to Approve Sale of 13 Michigan Dams” (Nov. 3, 2026), https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/consumers-energy-provides-state-regulators-more-time-to-approve-sale-of-13-michigan-dams-302928448.html
WKZO / WHTC, “Consumers Energy Pushes Back Dam Sale Deadline” (Nov. 4, 2026; $1 per dam, $160/MWh, 2.5% escalator, opponents), https://wkzo.com/2026/11/04/consumers-energy-pushes-back-dam-sale-deadline/
WJRT ABC12, “Consumers Energy pushes back decision on the sale of 13 dams” (Fultz and Joubert quotes), https://www.abc12.com/news/state/consumers-energy-pushes-back-decision-on-the-sale-of-13-dams/article_1aef133c-bda9-4386-8d23-032e5ab62b9b.html
Hyperlocal Loop, “Consumers Energy Extends Deadline for Michigan Public Service Commission to Approve Sale of 13 Hydroelectric Dams” (list of dams), https://hyperlocalloop.com/consumers-energy-extends-deadline-for-michigan-public-service-commission-to-approve-sale-of-13-hydroelectric-dams/
Photo: Larry Pieniazek, “Hardy Dam Muskegon River DSCN1145.JPG,” Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0), cropped and resized, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hardy_Dam_Muskegon_River_DSCN1145.JPG

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Tags: Consumers Energy · Hydroelectric dams · Muskegon River · Confluence Hydro · Michigan Public Service Commission · Hardy Dam