Providing safe, reliable energy for our customers is a top priority for DTE Energy. To do this, we are upgrading our existing infrastructure.
Crews were recently in Southfield replacing a pole to help keep residents’ power on. Pole replacements are necessary when poles become weathered and can no longer support the weight of our pole-top equipment. Our crews proactively seek out these poles and replace them with sturdier poles to support the pole-top equipment such as transformers and switches, which are devices that we use to control the flow of power. 
Jobs such as this — along with trimming trees, rebuilding older sections of the grid and accelerating our transition to a smart grid — are part of our four-point plan to reduce outages and improve long-term reliability for our customers. This plan is underway throughout our service territory and will prepare our grid to handle the increasing energy demand for our customers.
You may see more of our crews in the coming months as part of our accelerated electric reliability projects in your area, including more tree trimming, maintenance, and infrastructure updates. All these projects are underway to improve your service and reliability in the short and long term.
Make sure to regularly check out the Oakland County Arbor community page to learn more about what is going on in your neighborhood. You can also follow DTE on Facebook and Twitter for even more updates and information.