DTE Energy is dedicated to constructing a smarter, stronger and more resilient grid to enhance reliability. Our commitment to customers is to reduce power outages by 30% and to cut outage duration in half by 2029.
DTE has made it a priority to continue upgrading our infrastructure. Our front-line crews have been inspecting our current infrastructure to determine where these upgrades need to happen next. In 2023, DTE inspected and upgraded over 1,700 miles (about half the width of the United States) of pole top equipment across the communities we serve. These upgrades improve reliability, especially during extreme weather situations.
In Southwest Detroit, our crews were busy recently upgrading and reinforcing pole top equipment at the intersection of Elsmere Street and Lafayette Boulevard. The crews swapped in new cutouts, which feed wires to the transformer. They also replaced the old wooden crossarms with more durable fiberglass models and replaced switches with polymer options. All of these are made of stronger, more modern materials to better withstand extreme weather.
Electric use is growing and the goal is to ensure that these new poles will do better with the weather and also with the increased demand in the area. With 60 poles already replaced in this neighborhood, our crews have only a few more weeks before completing these vital upgrades.
DTE is building the grid of the future. That plan includes transitioning to a smart grid, upgrading existing infrastructure, rebuilding significant portions of the grid and trimming trees. These are at the core of our plan as we work to increase reliability in Detroit and for the many communities we serve.
Interested in seeing the work being done in your community? Visit our power improvements map online.