June 2017, Vol. 244, No. 6

Features

Consumers Energy’s Big Job Moves Forward in Michigan

Consumers Energy, with nearly 1.8 million customers, is among the largest of the gas distribution companies in the United States (ranking 12th in the in the annual P&GJ 500 Report)  – and indicative of its size, it also faces one of the largest jobs when it comes to upgrading infrastructure. In all, the company plans to replace 2,600 miles of pipe over a 25-year period, at a cost of about $75 million per year. Fortunately, under the company’s Enhanced Infrastructure Replacement Program (EIRP), Consumers Energy started right out of the gate, replacing 350 miles of pipe since 2012, including 120 miles of cast-iron and over 35,000 services. “The program scope includes replacement of all c