DTE Energy recently buried overhead lines that deliver power to homes in Detroit’s Bagley neighborhood as part of a pilot aimed at improving electric reliability. Customers in this area had below average reliability, and taking the existing overhead lines underground will help keep the lights on for them, especially during extreme weather.
The work will also increase safety by reducing the number of electrical wire downs from storms, trees wind and more.
To relocate the wires underground, crews first drilled a small tunnel underneath the backyard from the utility pole to the existing electric meters. They then installed a new underground electric cable, connecting it to the meter on the home. Once electric service was switched over to the new underground cable, the old DTE electrical wires on the pole (called primary and secondary wires) were removed.
In addition to the pilot in the Bagley neighborhood, we have another strategic undergrounding pilot taking place in the Buffalo-Charles and Davison neighborhoods of Detroit, which began last fall. This undergrounding pilot project aims to improve reliability and safety through gas and electric upgrades for nearly 400 customers. We are working with our Gas team to coordinate infrastructure upgrades and minimize disruptions for our customers, as well as to lower the costs of the pilot.
The findings from these two pilots will be used to plan future undergrounding and reliability improvement work in both the city of Detroit and throughout DTE’s communities.
Strategic undergrounding is part of the rebuilding portion of our four-point plan to improve reliability: trimming trees, upgrading existing infrastructure, rebuilding older sections of the grid and accelerating our transition to a smart grid. For more information on strategic undergrounding or other work happening in your community, visit empoweringmichigan.com/reliability-improvements.