Plant, Property, and Equipment

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Public Utility, Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]

Presented in the following table are details of CMS Energy’s and Consumers’ plant, property, and equipment:



In Millions
December 31	Estimated Depreciable Life in Years			2018				2017
CMS Energy, including Consumers
Plant, property, and equipment, gross
Consumers	3	—	125		$	23,963			$	22,318
Enterprises
Independent power production	3	—	35		410				163
Other	3	—	5		2				4
Other	1	—	7		25				21
Plant, property, and equipment, gross					$	24,400			$	22,506
Construction work in progress					763				765
Accumulated depreciation and amortization					(7,037		)		(6,510		)
Total plant, property, and equipment					$	18,126			$	16,761
Consumers
Plant, property, and equipment, gross
Electric
Generation	22	—	125		$	6,305			$	6,025
Distribution	20	—	75		7,957				7,603
Transmission	46	—	75		154				66
Other	5	—	50		1,316				1,229
Assets under capital leases and financing obligation¹					295				298
Gas
Distribution	20	—	85		4,651				4,182
Transmission	17	—	75		1,521				1,278
Underground storage facilities²	27	—	75		910				842
Other	5	—	50		823				764
Capital leases¹					14				14
Other non‑utility property	3	—	51		17				17
Plant, property, and equipment, gross					$	23,963			$	22,318
Construction work in progress					756				753
Accumulated depreciation and amortization					(6,958		)		(6,441		)
Total plant, property, and equipment³					$	17,761			$	16,630


¹	For information regarding the amortization terms of Consumers’ assets under capital leases and financing obligation, see Note 10, Leases and Palisades Financing.


²	Underground storage includes base natural gas of $26 million at December 31, 2018 and 2017. Base natural gas is not subject to depreciation.


³	For the year ended December 31, 2018, Consumers’ plant additions were $1.8 billion and plant retirements were $190 million. For the year ended December 31, 2017, Consumers’ plant additions were $1.7 billion and plant retirements were $214 million.

Capitalization: CMS Energy and Consumers record plant, property, and equipment at original cost when placed into service. The cost includes labor, material, applicable taxes, overhead such as pension and other benefits, and AFUDC, if applicable. Consumers’ plant, property, and equipment is generally recoverable through its general rate making process.

With the exception of utility property for which the remaining book value has been securitized, mothballed utility property stays in rate base and continues to be depreciated at the same rate as before the mothball period. When utility property is retired or otherwise disposed of in the ordinary course of business, Consumers records the original cost to accumulated depreciation, along with associated cost of removal, net of salvage. CMS Energy and Consumers recognize gains or losses on the retirement or disposal of non‑regulated assets in income. Consumers records cost of removal collected from customers, but not spent, as a regulatory liability.

Software: CMS Energy and Consumers capitalize the costs to purchase and develop internal-use computer software. These costs are expensed evenly over the estimated useful life of the internal-use computer software. If computer software is integral to computer hardware, then its cost is capitalized and depreciated with the hardware.

AFUDC: Consumers capitalizes AFUDC on regulated major construction projects, except pollution control facilities on its fossil-fuel-fired power plants. AFUDC represents the estimated cost of debt and authorized return-on-equity funds used to finance construction additions. Consumers records the offsetting credit as a reduction of interest for the amount representing the borrowed funds component and as other income for the equity funds component on the consolidated statements of income. When construction is completed and the property is placed in service, Consumers depreciates and recovers the capitalized AFUDC from customers over the life of the related asset. Presented in the following table are Consumers’ average AFUDC capitalization rates:



Years Ended December 31	2018		2017		2016
Electric	6.9	%	6.8	%	7.3	%
Gas	5.9		6.0		6.2

Assets Under Capital Leases and Financing Obligation: Presented in the following table are further details about changes in Consumers’ assets under capital leases and financing obligation:



In Millions
Years Ended December 31	2018				2017
Consumers
Balance at beginning of period		$	312			$	310
Additions		—				3
Net retirements and other adjustments		(3		)		(1		)
Balance at end of period		$	309			$	312

Assets under capital leases and financing obligation are presented as gross amounts. Accumulated amortization of assets under capital leases and financing obligation was $212 million at December 31, 2018 and $193 million at December 31, 2017 for Consumers.

Depreciation and Amortization: Presented in the following table are further details about CMS Energy’s and Consumers’ accumulated depreciation and amortization:



In Millions
December 31	2018			2017
CMS Energy, including Consumers
Utility plant assets		$	6,956		$	6,439
Non-utility plant assets		81			71
Consumers
Utility plant assets		$	6,956		$	6,439
Non-utility plant assets		2			2

Consumers depreciates utility property on an asset-group basis, in which it applies a single MPSC-approved depreciation rate to the gross investment in a particular class of property within the electric and gas segments. Consumers performs depreciation studies periodically to determine appropriate group lives. Presented in the following table are the composite depreciation rates for Consumers’ segment properties:



Years Ended December 31	2018			2017			2016
Electric utility property		3.9	%		3.9	%		3.9	%
Gas utility property		2.9			2.9			2.9
Other property		10.1			10.0			9.8

CMS Energy and Consumers record property repairs and minor property replacement as maintenance expense. CMS Energy and Consumers record planned major maintenance activities as operating expense unless the cost represents the acquisition of additional long-lived assets or the replacement of an existing long-lived asset.

Presented in the following table are the components of CMS Energy’s and Consumers’ depreciation and amortization expense:



In Millions
Years Ended December 31	2018			2017			2016
CMS Energy, including Consumers
Depreciation expense – plant, property, and equipment		$	778		$	739		$	687
Amortization expense
Software		127			114			96
Other intangible assets		3			3			3
Securitized regulatory assets		25			25			25
Total depreciation and amortization expense		$	933		$	881		$	811
Consumers
Depreciation expense – plant, property, and equipment		$	768		$	732		$	680
Amortization expense
Software		125			112			95
Other intangible assets		3			3			3
Securitized regulatory assets		25			25			25
Total depreciation and amortization expense		$	921		$	872		$	803

Presented in the following table is CMS Energy’s and Consumers’ estimated amortization expense on intangible assets for each of the next five years:



In Millions
	2019			2020			2021			2022			2023
CMS Energy, including Consumers
Intangible asset amortization expense		$	132		$	122		$	108		$	95		$	74
Consumers
Intangible asset amortization expense		$	130		$	120		$	106		$	94		$	74

Intangible Assets: Included in net plant, property, and equipment are intangible assets. Presented in the following table are details about CMS Energy’s and Consumers’ intangible assets:



In Millions
				December 31, 2018						December 31, 2017
Description	Amortization Life in Years			Gross Cost¹			Accumulated Amortization			Gross Cost¹			Accumulated Amortization
CMS Energy, including Consumers
Software development	1	—	15		$	1,024		$	603		$	950		$	481
Rights of way	50	—	85		167			52			162			50
Franchises and consents	5	—	30		15			9			14			8
Leasehold improvements	various²				9			7			9			7
Other intangibles	various				27			15			23			15
Total					$	1,242		$	686		$	1,158		$	561
Consumers
Software development	3	—	15		$	1,009		$	595		$	937		$	475
Rights of way	50	—	85		167			52			162			50
Franchises and consents	5	—	30		15			9			14			8
Leasehold improvements	various²				9			7			9			7
Other intangibles	various				26			15			21			15
Total					$	1,226		$	678		$	1,143		$	555


¹	For the year ended December 31, 2018, Consumers’ intangible asset additions were $90 million and intangible asset retirements were $7 million. For the year ended December 31, 2017, Consumers’ intangible asset additions were $100 million and there were no intangible asset retirements.


²	Leasehold improvements are amortized over the life of the lease, which may change whenever the lease is renewed or extended.

Jointly Owned Regulated Utility Facilities

Presented in the following table are Consumers’ investments in jointly owned regulated utility facilities at December 31, 2018:



In Millions, Except Ownership Share
J.H. Campbell Unit 3				Ludington				Other
Ownership share	93.3		%		51.0		%	various
Utility plant in service	$	1,688			$	411		$	226
Accumulated depreciation	(670		)		(155		)	(70		)
Construction work in progress	23				110			16
Net investment	$	1,041			$	366		$	172

Consumers includes its share of the direct expenses of the jointly owned plants in operating expenses. Consumers shares operation, maintenance, and other expenses of these jointly owned utility facilities in proportion to each participant’s undivided ownership interest. Consumers is required to provide only its share of financing for the jointly owned utility facilities.

Consumers Energy Company