As Mother Nature brings increasingly extreme weather to Michigan, DTE Energy is reinforcing the grid that serves our customers. We’re committed to delivering safer, more reliable power across the state—no matter what storms come our way.
To support that commitment, DTE is making a major investment to rebuild and modernize the electric lines that deliver power to Caseville, Oak Beach, Pigeon and Port Austin. This multiyear effort is part of our broader goal to reduce outages by 30% and cut outage times in half by 2029. By rebuilding and relocating sections of line into more accessible areas, crews will be able to make repairs faster — especially during severe weather events.
This $76 million project will rebuild 30 miles of electric infrastructure that serves homes and businesses throughout Michigan’s Thumb. The work includes:
- Installing new power poles, power lines and transformers.
- Rebuilding and upgrading older equipment to modern standards.
- Trimming and clearing trees near power lines to reduce outage risk.
These improvements will create a stronger, more resilient electric grid and reduce the likelihood of future service interruptions.
Project schedule
Construction is scheduled to begin in January 2027 and continue through 2032, with work taking place in phases throughout the region. DTE crews, engineers and contractors will be working along the route between Port Austin and Pigeon to rebuild, reposition and upgrade infrastructure to enhanced standards.
Why this project matters
The Thumb region has experienced reliability challenges due to several factors:
- Aging infrastructure.
- Equipment located in deep, difficult to access areas.
- Extreme weather conditions.
- Heavy tree canopy near power lines.
By modernizing and relocating equipment to more accessible areas, this project will:
- Improve reliability.
- Reduce outage frequency.
- Enhance crew access during weather events.
- Strengthen the local grid for the future.
This work is part of a larger effort to build a more resilient, modern power grid across Michigan. You will see more work like this as we continue to execute our plan to build the grid of the future by transitioning to a smart grid, upgrading existing infrastructure, rebuilding significant portions of the grid and trimming trees.
We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we work to provide safe, reliable power to Caseville, Oak Beach, Pigeon and Port Austin. Learn more about work happening in your community at dteenergy.com/powermap.