The Board’s decision to increase the common stock dividend reflects the company’s improved financial strength, even in this challenging economy, and the fundamental soundness of our business strategy, said David Joos, CMS Energy’s president and chief executive officer.

We plan to invest more than $6 billion in our utility operations over the next five years. Our plan calls for making substantial investments in key areas, primarily energy efficiency, renewable energy, environmental and customer service enhancements, and new power generation.

We expect to continue to increase our payout ratio over time as we implement our growth plan and grow our earnings, however, that will be at a slower pace in light of our aggressive capital investment plan, Joos said.