The Downtown Detroit Financial District is a vibrant hub of business, innovation, and entertainment, attracting millions of visitors and workers every year. To keep up with the changing needs and expectations of its customers, DTE Energy is launching a major project to upgrade the grid in this area.
Beginning in July, we are investing more than $136 million to rebuild and upgrade the infrastructure that powers the Downtown Detroit Financial District. When completed in 2032, the project is expected to decrease both the number and length of outages for customers and help support the growing energy demand in the area.
“We are building a safer, smarter, more resilient grid of the future for our customers,” Shannen Hartwick, DTE director, Distribution Operations, said. “This project will help ensure the grid can support growth and new developments in the Downtown Detroit Financial District.”
The project includes:
- Installing 11 miles of upgraded underground piping and cables
- Upgrading and rebuilding manholes
- Rebuilding and upgrading 12 miles of overhead electrical equipment like poles and power lines
- Installing more than 40 new transformers
- Removing the near century old Howard Substation with a new, modern substation.
This project is one of thirteen projects under the City of Detroit Infrastructure Initiative — a $1.2 billion strategy aimed at rebuilding the underground infrastructure that powers the greater downtown Detroit area. It is also part of our plan to build the grid of the future, which also includes transitioning to a smart grid, upgrading existing infrastructure and trimming trees. These improvements will help the company reach its goal of reducing outages by 30% while cutting outage times in half by 2029.
To learn more about work happening in your neighborhood, visit empoweringmichigan.com/reliability-improvements or see our Power Improvements Map.