DTE Energy is working to help keep the lights on for customers in Armada, Marysville and Richmond by upgrading the infrastructure that delivers power to homes and businesses. This $95 million work is part of our four-point plan to improve reliability and includes the following:
- Constructing a new electrical station in Lenox Township, which will help ensure reliable power travels all the way from our generation plants to both Macomb and St. Clair Counties.
- Repairing and upgrading 27 miles of overhead infrastructure, including wires, crossarms, transformers and other electrical equipment.
- Replacing older wooded utility poles with stronger steel poles.
- Trimming or removing trees growing close to power lines. Trimming trees makes room for the new electrical equipment. It also helps improve reliability because trees can fall onto power lines and cause outages during storms or even on sunny days.
This work, which is expected to be completed in 2026, will strengthen our infrastructure to better withstand extreme weather, helping to improve reliability for customers in the area.
Our progress
Since the beginning of the year, we have been working in areas of Armada and Richmond to inspect and upgrade about six miles of our infrastructure that delivers power to homes and businesses in the area. We have installed 175 new power poles and trimmed 4.5 miles of trees away from our wires.
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- Crews working to upgrade the overhead wires, poles and attached electrical equipment in Richmond.
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- We’re installing taller, stronger steel poles. These poles will better withstand extreme weather.
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- Once the new wires and electrical equipment have been installed on the steel poles, crews will remove the old wooden poles.
What’s next?
This month, we are starting work in the downtown Richmond area to inspect 2.5 miles of electrical equipment, making upgrades where necessary. We expect to replace 100 utility poles with stronger steel poles.
Over the next few months, there may be partial road closures or short outages to safely complete the work. We will notify customers if work in this area affects them.
Upgrading existing infrastructure is just one part of our four-point plan to improve reliability, we’re also trimming trees, rebuilding older sections of the grid and accelerating our transition to a smart grid. Read more about this plan or work happening in your neighborhood at empoweringmichigan.com/reliability-improvements.