You may have noticed some changes underway in Port Huron lately. That’s because DTE Energy is on a mission to transform our power grid and provide you with safer, smarter and more dependable energy. This work is part of our commitment to reduce outages by 30% and cut outage times in half by 2029.
We’re investing more than $100 million to rebuild and modernize our power grid in Port Huron from 2023 to 2026. The work includes:
- Constructing a new electric substation that will help deliver more reliable power to customers.
- Upgrading miles of electrical equipment like poles, wires, transformers and underground conduit and cables.
- Trimming trees and branches growing along the power lines that serve the city.
- Installing smart grid technology. During outages, these devices will allow us to locate damage so our crews can get to work on repairs faster. They also allow us to reroute power during an outage so we can restore power for many of our customers while crews make repairs. And, most important, these devices will automatically de-energize a line when it senses a fault – and that keeps our customers safe when a line falls to the ground.
All this work will help us prevent outages and shorten outage duration when they do happen. It will also allow us to accommodate future growth and demand, as well as expand electric energy options like electric vehicles.
Our progress
Since summer 2023, crews have been working to install new poles and wires above ground and new conduit underground, which will house and protect the underground cables. So far, we’ve rebuilt over four miles of overhead and a mile of underground equipment.
Recently, crews were working on 10th Avenue and Mansfield Street to install new power poles and equipment. More than 1,700 new poles will be installed as part of this project. That includes many new concrete poles and wires as well. One of the main advantages of concrete poles, located along major roadways, vs. older wooden poles is their increased strength and durability, especially during extreme weather. Concrete poles can also support heavier wires and equipment, which allows us to deliver more power to more customers. They also resist rotting, decay, insects, fire, and corrosion, which means they last longer and require less maintenance. By replacing old wooden poles with new concrete poles, we are enhancing the safety and reliability of our electric system for you and your neighbors.
Crews will continue rebuilding infrastructure throughout the city and will finish all the rebuilding work in 2026.
Rebuilding work like this is just one part of our plan to build the grid of the future: transitioning to a smart grid, upgrading existing infrastructure, rebuilding significant portions of the grid and trimming trees. To read about additional reliability improvement work happening in your neighborhood, visit empoweringmichigan.com/reliability-improvements or view our Power Improvements Map.