DTE crews have been working throughout Detroit’s east side to modernize our infrastructure and help keep the power on for our customers, especially during extreme weather. This work is part of our four-point plan to improve reliability for our customers: trimming trees, upgrading existing infrastructure, rebuilding older sections of the grid and accelerating our transition to a smart grid.
On Detroit’s east side, we’re investing more than $530 million to rebuild the electric infrastructure that delivers power to the community. This work includes:
- Constructing two new electric substations.
- Replacing more than 200 miles of overhead power lines and 80 miles of underground cables and electrical equipment.
- Installing new, stronger utility poles and attached equipment that can better withstand extreme weather.
- Trimming or removing trees growing close to power lines. This improves reliability by eliminating the risk of limbs and branches falling and damaging power equipment.
- Installing smart grid devices that can reroute power to many customers during an outage.
HOW DOES THIS BENEFIT ME?
Once this work is completed, we expect customers will experience a significant improvement in their electric reliability. The grid will also be safer and have increased capacity, which means we’ll be able to deliver more reliable power to existing customers and new customers moving into the area. The added capacity also will allow us to better support clean energy solutions like electric vehicles.
WHAT WORK HAVE YOU DONE?
- Completed constructing the Islandview substation, four months ahead of schedule.
- Installed around 15 miles of new utility poles, wires and overhead electrical equipment, which will help deliver more reliable power from the Islandview Substation to customers in the East Village, Elmwood Park, Gold Coast, Indian Village, Islandview, Joseph Berry Sub, Lafayette Park, McDougall-Hunt, Rivertown and West Village neighborhoods of Detroit.
- Completed below ground construction on the Promenade Substation.
- Once this substation is energized, it will power the Airport Sub, Buffalo-Charles, Gratiot Town/Kettering, Gratiot Woods, a portion of Hamtramck, Pingree Park and West End neighborhoods of Detroit.
- Completed over 50 miles of tree trimming on the east side since February. Customers may already see an improvement in their reliability from the recent tree trimming work.
WHAT WORK ARE YOU DOING NOW?
Crews are continuing to install the new overhead infrastructure that will deliver power from the Islandview Substation. We expect to have more than 30 miles of new equipment installed by the end of 2023.
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- Lineman prepping a utility pole, so the crew can install new power lines. The new utility poles, power lines and electrical equipment will help deliver more reliable power to Detroit’s Islandview neighborhood.
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- Crews stringing new wires and conductor on newly installed utility poles on Baldwin Street between Charlevoix Street and East Vernor Highway.
We are also installing the above ground equipment at the Promenade Substation, including transformers, circuit switchers, power cables, etc.
This rebuilding work began in spring of 2022 and will be completed in 2032. To stay up to date on work happening on Detroit’s east side, visit empoweringmichigan.com/reliability-improvements/city-of-detroit/detroits-east-side or view our electric reliability improvements map.