Variable Interest Entities

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2015

Variable Interest Entities [Abstract]

Variable Interest Entities

19:Variable  Interest Entities

CMS Energy has variable interests in T.E.S. Filer City, Grayling, and Genesee. CMS Energy is not the primary beneficiary of any of these partnerships because power is shared among unrelated parties, and no one party has the power to direct activities, such as operations and maintenance, plant dispatch, and fuel strategy, that most significantly impact the entities’ economic performance. The partners must agree on all major decisions for each of the partnerships.

Presented in the following table is information about these partnerships:

Name (Ownership Interest)	Nature of the Entity	Financing of Partnership
T.E.S. Filer City (50%)	Coal-fueled power generator	Non-recourse long-term debt that matured in December 2007.
Grayling (50%)	Wood waste-fueled power generator	Sale of revenue bonds that were retired in March 2012.
Genesee (50%)	Wood waste-fueled power generator	Sale of revenue bonds that mature in 2021 and bear interest at fixed rates. The debt is non‑recourse to the partners and secured by a CMS Energy guarantee capped at $3 million annually.

CMS Energy has operating and management contracts with Grayling and Genesee, and Consumers is the primary purchaser of power from each partnership through long-term PPAs. Consumers also has reduced dispatch agreements with Grayling and Genesee, which allow these facilities to be dispatched based on the market price of wood waste. This results in fuel cost savings that each partnership shares with Consumers’ customers.

CMS Energy’s investment in these partnerships is included in investments on its consolidated balance sheets in the amount of $59 million as of December 31, 2015 and $57 million as of December 31, 2014. The creditors of these partnerships do not have recourse to the general credit of CMS Energy or Consumers, except through a guarantee provided by CMS Energy of $3 million annually. CMS Energy has deferred collections on certain receivables owed by Genesee. CMS Energy’s maximum exposure to loss from these receivables is $8 million. Consumers has not provided any financial or other support during the periods presented that was not previously contractually required.