At DTE, 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 over $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 expand electric energy options 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.
- 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.
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.