Asset Retirement Obligations

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Asset Retirement Obligations [Line Items]

Asset Retirement Obligations

Asset Retirement Obligations

CMS Energy and Consumers record the fair value of the cost to remove assets at the end of their useful lives, if there is a legal obligation to remove them. If a reasonable estimate of fair value cannot be made in the period in which the ARO is incurred, such as for assets with indeterminate lives, the liability is recognized when a reasonable estimate of fair value can be made. CMS Energy and Consumers have not recorded liabilities associated with the closure of certain gas wells that have an indeterminate life. CMS Energy and Consumers have not recorded liabilities for assets that have immaterial cumulative disposal costs, such as substation batteries.

CMS Energy and Consumers calculate the fair value of ARO liabilities using an expected present-value technique that reflects assumptions about costs and inflation, and uses a credit-adjusted risk-free rate to discount the expected cash flows. CMS Energy’s ARO liabilities are primarily at Consumers.

Presented below are the categories of assets that CMS Energy and Consumers have legal obligations to remove at the end of their useful lives and for which they have an ARO liability recorded:

Company and ARO Description	In-Service Date	Long-Lived Assets
CMS Energy, including Consumers
Closure of coal ash disposal areas	various	Generating plants coal ash areas
Gas distribution cut, purge, and cap	various	Gas distribution mains and services
Asbestos abatement	1973	Electric and gas utility plant
Closure of renewable generation assets	various	Wind and solar generation facilities
Gas wells plug and abandon	various	Gas transmission and storage
Consumers
Closure of coal ash disposal areas	various	Generating plants coal ash areas
Gas distribution cut, purge, and cap	various	Gas distribution mains and services
Asbestos abatement	1973	Electric and gas utility plant
Closure of renewable generation assets	various	Wind and solar generation facilities
Gas wells plug and abandon	various	Gas transmission and storage

No assets have been restricted for purposes of settling AROs.

Presented in the following tables are the changes in CMS Energy’s and Consumers’ ARO liabilities:

In Millions
Company and ARO Description	ARO Liability 12/31/2019			Incurred			Settled			Accretion			Cash Flow Revisions			ARO Liability 12/31/2020
CMS Energy, including Consumers
Consumers		$	474		$	46		$	(41)		$	23		$	28		$	530
Renewable generation assets		3			19			—			1			—			23
Total CMS Energy		$	477		$	65		$	(41)		$	24		$	28		$	553
Consumers
Coal ash disposal areas		$	166		$	—		$	(24)		$	6		$	—		$	148
Gas distribution cut, purge, and cap		231			1			(5)			13			—			240
Asbestos abatement		34			—			—			2			—			36
Renewable generation assets		21			24			—			1			28			74
Gas wells plug and abandon		22			16			(7)			1			—			32
Cable under Straits of Mackinac1		—			5			(5)			—			—			—
Total Consumers		$	474		$	46		$	(41)		$	23		$	28		$	530

1    For further details, see Note 4, Contingencies and Commitments—Consumers Electric Utility Contingencies.

In Millions
Company and ARO Description	ARO Liability 12/31/2018			Incurred			Settled			Accretion			Cash Flow Revisions			ARO Liability 12/31/2019
CMS Energy, including Consumers
Consumers		$	428		$	55		$	(37)		$	21		$	7		$	474
Gas treating plant and gas wells		1			—			(1)			—			—			—
Renewable generation assets		3			—			—			—			—			3
Total CMS Energy		$	432		$	55		$	(38)		$	21		$	7		$	477
Consumers
Coal ash disposal areas		$	179		$	—		$	(27)		$	7		$	7		$	166
Gas distribution cut, purge, and cap		205			22			(8)			12			—			231
Asbestos abatement		33			—			(1)			2			—			34
Renewable generation assets		11			10			—			—			—			21
Gas wells plug and abandon		—			23			(1)			—			—			22
Total Consumers		$	428		$	55		$	(37)		$	21		$	7		$	474

Consumers Energy Company

Asset Retirement Obligations [Line Items]

Asset Retirement Obligations

Asset Retirement Obligations

CMS Energy and Consumers record the fair value of the cost to remove assets at the end of their useful lives, if there is a legal obligation to remove them. If a reasonable estimate of fair value cannot be made in the period in which the ARO is incurred, such as for assets with indeterminate lives, the liability is recognized when a reasonable estimate of fair value can be made. CMS Energy and Consumers have not recorded liabilities associated with the closure of certain gas wells that have an indeterminate life. CMS Energy and Consumers have not recorded liabilities for assets that have immaterial cumulative disposal costs, such as substation batteries.

CMS Energy and Consumers calculate the fair value of ARO liabilities using an expected present-value technique that reflects assumptions about costs and inflation, and uses a credit-adjusted risk-free rate to discount the expected cash flows. CMS Energy’s ARO liabilities are primarily at Consumers.

Presented below are the categories of assets that CMS Energy and Consumers have legal obligations to remove at the end of their useful lives and for which they have an ARO liability recorded:

Company and ARO Description	In-Service Date	Long-Lived Assets
CMS Energy, including Consumers
Closure of coal ash disposal areas	various	Generating plants coal ash areas
Gas distribution cut, purge, and cap	various	Gas distribution mains and services
Asbestos abatement	1973	Electric and gas utility plant
Closure of renewable generation assets	various	Wind and solar generation facilities
Gas wells plug and abandon	various	Gas transmission and storage
Consumers
Closure of coal ash disposal areas	various	Generating plants coal ash areas
Gas distribution cut, purge, and cap	various	Gas distribution mains and services
Asbestos abatement	1973	Electric and gas utility plant
Closure of renewable generation assets	various	Wind and solar generation facilities
Gas wells plug and abandon	various	Gas transmission and storage

No assets have been restricted for purposes of settling AROs.

Presented in the following tables are the changes in CMS Energy’s and Consumers’ ARO liabilities:

In Millions
Company and ARO Description	ARO Liability 12/31/2019			Incurred			Settled			Accretion			Cash Flow Revisions			ARO Liability 12/31/2020
CMS Energy, including Consumers
Consumers		$	474		$	46		$	(41)		$	23		$	28		$	530
Renewable generation assets		3			19			—			1			—			23
Total CMS Energy		$	477		$	65		$	(41)		$	24		$	28		$	553
Consumers
Coal ash disposal areas		$	166		$	—		$	(24)		$	6		$	—		$	148
Gas distribution cut, purge, and cap		231			1			(5)			13			—			240
Asbestos abatement		34			—			—			2			—			36
Renewable generation assets		21			24			—			1			28			74
Gas wells plug and abandon		22			16			(7)			1			—			32
Cable under Straits of Mackinac1		—			5			(5)			—			—			—
Total Consumers		$	474		$	46		$	(41)		$	23		$	28		$	530

1    For further details, see Note 4, Contingencies and Commitments—Consumers Electric Utility Contingencies.

In Millions
Company and ARO Description	ARO Liability 12/31/2018			Incurred			Settled			Accretion			Cash Flow Revisions			ARO Liability 12/31/2019
CMS Energy, including Consumers
Consumers		$	428		$	55		$	(37)		$	21		$	7		$	474
Gas treating plant and gas wells		1			—			(1)			—			—			—
Renewable generation assets		3			—			—			—			—			3
Total CMS Energy		$	432		$	55		$	(38)		$	21		$	7		$	477
Consumers
Coal ash disposal areas		$	179		$	—		$	(27)		$	7		$	7		$	166
Gas distribution cut, purge, and cap		205			22			(8)			12			—			231
Asbestos abatement		33			—			(1)			2			—			34
Renewable generation assets		11			10			—			—			—			21
Gas wells plug and abandon		—			23			(1)			—			—			22
Total Consumers		$	428		$	55		$	(37)		$	21		$	7		$	474