Asset Retirement Obligations

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2018

Asset Retirement Obligations [Line Items]

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 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. As a regulated entity, Consumers defers the effects of any changes in assumptions on the fair values of its ARO liabilities, adjusting the associated regulatory assets or liabilities rather than recognizing such effects in earnings.

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 gas treating plant and gas wells	various	Gas transmission and storage
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
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

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
	ARO Liability													Cash Flow Revisions			ARO Liability
Company and ARO Description	12/31/2017			Incurred			Settled				Accretion			Cash Flow Revisions			12/31/2018
CMS Energy, including Consumers
Consumers		$	429		$	17		$	(40	)		$	22		$	—		$	428
Gas treating plant and gas wells		1			—			—				—			—			1
Renewable generation assets		—			3			—				—			—			3
Total CMS Energy		$	430		$	20		$	(40	)		$	22		$	—		$	432
Consumers
Coal ash disposal areas		$	191		$	—		$	(20	)		$	8		$	—		$	179
Gas distribution cut, purge, and cap		186			17			(9		)		11			—			205
Asbestos abatement		42			—			(11		)		2			—			33
Renewable generation assets		10			—			—				1			—			11
Total Consumers		$	429		$	17		$	(40	)		$	22		$	—		$	428



In Millions
	ARO Liability													Cash Flow Revisions		ARO Liability
Company and ARO Description	12/31/2016			Incurred			Settled				Accretion			Cash Flow Revisions		12/31/2017
CMS Energy, including Consumers
Consumers		$	446		$	5		$	(45	)		$	23		—		$	429
Gas treating plant and gas wells		1			—			—				—			—		1
Total CMS Energy		$	447		$	5		$	(45	)		$	23		—		$	430
Consumers
Coal ash disposal areas		$	201		$	—		$	(18	)		$	8		—		$	191
Gas distribution cut, purge, and cap		182			3			(11		)		12			—		186
Asbestos abatement		56			—			(16		)		2			—		42
Renewable generation assets		7			2			—				1			—		10
Total Consumers		$	446		$	5		$	(45	)		$	23		—		$	429

Consumers Energy Company

Asset Retirement Obligations [Line Items]

Asset Retirement Obligations

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 gas treating plant and gas wells	various	Gas transmission and storage
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
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

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
	ARO Liability													Cash Flow Revisions			ARO Liability
Company and ARO Description	12/31/2017			Incurred			Settled				Accretion			Cash Flow Revisions			12/31/2018
CMS Energy, including Consumers
Consumers		$	429		$	17		$	(40	)		$	22		$	—		$	428
Gas treating plant and gas wells		1			—			—				—			—			1
Renewable generation assets		—			3			—				—			—			3
Total CMS Energy		$	430		$	20		$	(40	)		$	22		$	—		$	432
Consumers
Coal ash disposal areas		$	191		$	—		$	(20	)		$	8		$	—		$	179
Gas distribution cut, purge, and cap		186			17			(9		)		11			—			205
Asbestos abatement		42			—			(11		)		2			—			33
Renewable generation assets		10			—			—				1			—			11
Total Consumers		$	429		$	17		$	(40	)		$	22		$	—		$	428



In Millions
	ARO Liability													Cash Flow Revisions		ARO Liability
Company and ARO Description	12/31/2016			Incurred			Settled				Accretion			Cash Flow Revisions		12/31/2017
CMS Energy, including Consumers
Consumers		$	446		$	5		$	(45	)		$	23		—		$	429
Gas treating plant and gas wells		1			—			—				—			—		1
Total CMS Energy		$	447		$	5		$	(45	)		$	23		—		$	430
Consumers
Coal ash disposal areas		$	201		$	—		$	(18	)		$	8		—		$	191
Gas distribution cut, purge, and cap		182			3			(11		)		12			—		186
Asbestos abatement		56			—			(16		)		2			—		42
Renewable generation assets		7			2			—				1			—		10
Total Consumers		$	446		$	5		$	(45	)		$	23		—		$	429