Michiganders speak out on Consumers Energy’s proposed sale of 13 dams to private equity

Michigan's Public Service Commission is set to decide by September 10 whether Consumers Energy can sell 13 hydroelectric dams built between 1906 and 1935 to Confluence Hydro, a subsidiary of Maryland private equity firm Hull Street Energy.

Residents and local officials testified that dam removal, the alternative to sale, would drain reservoirs and devastate property values and recreation-dependent businesses, while others questioned whether an out-of-state buyer using shell corporations for each dam would maintain them responsibly.

Governor Whitmer opposed the deal in a letter, saying it lacks enforceable maintenance and decommissioning guarantees, and that Consumers' proposed $270 million safety fund is inadequate and hard to access.

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