DTE Energy is committed to reducing outages by 30% and cutting outage time in half by 2029. To achieve that, we’re not just making upgrades; we’re building the grid of the future. A smarter, more resilient grid that will help keep your power on, even during extreme weather.
In Lenox Township, we’re investing $95 million to upgrade 27 miles of utility poles and power lines; build a new station that will power Armada, Marysville, and Richmond; and trim trees growing close to power lines.
All this work is important for making sure you have the reliable power you need and deserve. The upgrades will also help add more capacity to the grid to support growth in the area and more clean energy solutions like electric vehicles.
Our progress
- January 2023 – July 2023: Crews upgraded six miles of electrical equipment that delivers power to Armada, including overhead wires, crossarms and 175 utility poles, with stronger steel poles. We also trimmed over four miles of trees in the area.
- July 2023 – February 2024: Crews worked in downtown Richmond to upgrade more than two miles of power lines and replaced more than 100 utility poles with steel poles.
- January 2024: Crews began construction of the new electric station by clearing the land. Construction on the station will be completed early 2025.
- February to summer 2024: Crews are working on the below ground construction at the electric station, which includes building new manholes and installing underground conduit and cables at the station.
- February 2024 to fall 2024: Crews are currently working south of 32 Mile Road to upgrade more electrical equipment in this area. Through the fall, we will modernize nearly eight miles of power lines and install around 200 new steel poles.
- July 2024 to spring 2025: Crews are currently working on 33 Mile Road between Powell Road and North Avenue to replace electrical equipment with stronger, upgraded infrastructure. We will install around six miles of new transformers and power lines and install around 220 new steel poles.
The entire project, which began in 2023, is expected to be completed in 2026. There may be partial road closures or short outages to safely complete the work — we will notify customers if work in this area affects them.
This project is part of our plan to build the grid of the future, which includes trimming trees, upgrading existing infrastructure, rebuilding older sections of the grid and accelerating our transition to a smart grid. Stay up to date on work happening in your community, visit empoweringmichigan.com/reliability-improvements.