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Variable Interest Entities | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2016
Variable Interest Entities [Abstract] |
Variable Interest Entities | 20:V ariable I nterest E ntities CMS Energy has variable interests in T.E.S. Filer City, Grayling, Genesee, and Craven. CMS Energy is not the primary beneficiary of any of these partnerships because decision making is shared among unrelated parties, and no one party has the ability 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:
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﻿Name (Ownership Interest) |  | Nature of the Entity |  | Financing of Partnership |
﻿T.E.S. Filer City (50%) |  | Coal-fueled power generator |  | Line of credit secured by T.E.S. Filer City’s coal inventory |
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﻿Grayling (50%) |  | Wood waste-fueled power generator |  | Line of credit secured by specific assets of Grayling. This line of credit expired in 2016. |
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﻿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. |
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﻿Craven (50%) |  | Wood waste-fueled power generator |  | Line of credit secured by Craven’s property, plant, and equipment |
﻿ CMS Energy has operating and management contracts with Grayling, Genesee, and Craven. Additionally, Consumers is the primary purchaser of power from T.E.S. Filer City, Grayling, and Genesee 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 power compared with the cost of production of the plants. 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 $62 million as of December 31, 2016 and $61 million as of December 31, 2015. 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.

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- Definition Variable Interest Entities [Abstract] + References No definition available. + Details
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- Definition Disclosure of variable interest entities (VIE), including, but not limited to the nature, purpose, size, and activities of the VIE, the carrying amount and classification of consolidated assets that are collateral for the VIE's obligations, lack of recourse if creditors (or beneficial interest holders) of a consolidated VIE have no recourse to the general credit of the primary beneficiary. An enterprise that holds a significant variable interest in a VIE but is not the primary beneficiary may disclose the nature of its involvement with the VIE and when that involvement began, the nature, purpose, size, and activities of the VIE and the enterprise's maximum exposure to loss as a result of its involvement with the VIE. + References No definition available. + Details
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