At DTE Energy, we understand the importance of reliable electricity — it powers our homes, our businesses and our daily lives. That’s why we’re committed to reducing outages by 30% and cutting outage times in half by 2029. How? By building the grid of the future. This plan includes transitioning to a smart grid, upgrading existing infrastructure, rebuilding significant portions of the grid and trimming trees.
In the Chesterfield and New Baltimore areas of Macomb County, we’re investing nearly $30 million to rebuild the infrastructure that delivers power to homes and businesses.
This work will significantly improve reliability and safety for customers in the area. It also will improve the grid’s capacity to support growth and clean energy solutions like electric vehicles.
The work, which is expected to begin later this year and be completed in 2028, includes:
- Modernizing and upgrading 18 miles of power lines, transformers and other electrical equipment.
- Expanding the existing substation that delivers power to customers in the area. This means the electric grid will be able to better support more electric vehicles and appliances in the future.
- Installing new conductor, which is wiring that hangs between power poles and helps electricity flow from one place to another. This new conductor carries a higher capacity of electric power.
- Replacing old, wooden utility poles with taller, stronger steel poles that can better withstand extreme weather.
- Trimming trees growing close to power lines. Half the time customers spend without power is due to trees and branches falling into electric equipment during storms.
Project progress
Winter 2025-26: Crews are upgrading the equipment between 23 and 24 Mile Road on Gratiot. Crews are also working at the substation that delivers power to this area to expand the substation’s energy capacity at the site. Work at the substation is expected to be complete by April 2026.
DTE representatives may also reach out to you as a property owner to place new poles and/or guy wires on or near your property. A guy wire is a thin, flexible wire attached to poles and anchored to the ground or another structure. Guy wires help prevent the power lines from sagging, swinging or breaking under stress from wind, ice, snow or other forces. If you already have DTE poles on your property, new poles may be placed in the same spot or, if required, a new suitable location will be identified. The switch to steel poles means greater durability and improved resilience against extreme weather. In the coming weeks, DTE representatives or our partners will visit to survey your property and may place stakes in the ground to indicate potential locations for new poles. Do NOT remove stakes.
The locations for new poles are not yet finalized. DTE representatives will reach out to you in person to discuss the process of placing electric equipment on your property.
DTE personnel or our partners:
- May need access to your backyard to inspect the electrical infrastructure. Please note, they will not require entry to your home.
- Will wear high-visibility vests and carry identification badges for your peace-of-mind.
Spring 2025: Crews trimmed nearly five miles of trees in New Haven and Chesterfield to reduce the chances that limbs will fall on power equipment and cause outages.
To safely complete the work, lane closures and short outages may be required — we will notify impacted customers ahead of outages whenever possible. Stay tuned for updates on our progress and learn more about work happening in your community at empoweringmichigan.com or visit our electric reliability improvements map.