We're experiencing intermittent issues with customers checking and reporting outages. We're sorry for any inconvenience & ask that you try again if you receive an error message the first time.
We're experiencing intermittent issues with customers checking and reporting outages. We're sorry for any inconvenience & ask that you try again if you receive an error message the first time.
We're experiencing intermittent issues with customers checking and reporting outages. We're sorry for any inconvenience & ask that you try again if you receive an error message the first time.
We're experiencing intermittent issues with customers checking and reporting outages. We're sorry for any inconvenience & ask that you try again if you receive an error message the first time.
We're experiencing intermittent issues with customers checking and reporting outages. We're sorry for any inconvenience & ask that you try again if you receive an error message the first time.
We're experiencing intermittent issues with customers checking and reporting outages. We're sorry for any inconvenience & ask that you try again if you receive an error message the first time.
News Release
Statement from Consumers Energy as the Company Submits Report on the Cause of the January Ray Compressor Fire
Jackson, Mich. Friday, April 05, 2019
Today, Consumers Energy submitted its report to the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) on the Ray Compressor Station fire on Jan. 30, 2019. The incident at our largest storage supply site occurred during historically high natural gas demand due to extreme cold temperatures and prompted the company to ask customers to dial back their thermostats and conserve natural gas use in their homes and businesses.After the company’s two-month internal investigation - confirmed by a third-party consultant - we found that the fire was caused by a combination of factors:
- A plume of natural gas released by the safety fire-gate system was the fuel source;
- Air outside of the plant mixed with the natural gas due to the high winds; and
- Extremely hot equipment caused the natural gas-air mixture to ignite.
Consumers Energy’s review found no evidence of failure to properly maintain our equipment. We look forward to working with the MPSC as they complete their own independent analysis on the cause of the fire and our subsequent response.
The fire at the Ray Station was precipitated by a safety venting fire-gate process that is proven safe and effective. However, under unique and extreme weather conditions, the process became hazardous. We plan to address the issue at the Ray Compressor Station and implement new procedures across our natural gas fleet to further enhance resiliency and help avoid failure in these extraordinary circumstances. We appreciate and thank our customers across Michigan for all they did to help Consumers Energy and their neighbors during the unprecedented January event.”
Consumers Energy, Michigan’s largest energy provider, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.7 million of the state’s 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.
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Media Contacts: Katie Carey, 517-740-1739