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September 2, 2021
By Jessica Mathews / [email protected]
DTE Energy has announced that it will spend millions more removing trees and cutting branches from power lines to fight blackouts caused by catastrophic storms and extreme weather conditions.
The utility has been criticized for summer power outages both locally and in Southeast Michigan and customers whose outages have lasted for several days are fed up. The plan, which adds $ 70 (m) million to DTE’s $ 190 (m) million annual tree pruning program, has been filed with the Michigan Public Service Commission. The company says the investment will not impact customer bills.
Officials say trees are responsible for almost all of the time customers are without power during extremely high winds. The DTE service area has experienced five tornadoes this summer and eight storms with tropical force wind gusts of 39 to 74 mph. High winds and extreme humidity in the ground uprooted trees which knocked down wires and poles. DTE teams would have replaced 450 broken poles following the catastrophic storm of August 11 which caused the loss of electricity to more than 500,000 customers. Thousands of people in the Livingston County area were among those without power and various areas were inundated as a result of severe storms.
A press release says that in areas where tree pruning has been completed, communities have experienced, on average, 60% fewer outages.
DTE President and CEO Jerry Norcia said they tripled tree pruning efforts and doubled infrastructure upgrades several years ago when they started seeing weather conditions more severe, but the extreme weather conditions encountered this summer – nine violent and severe storms in nine weeks – is something they’ve never experienced before. Norcia says that is why they have made the decision to invest even more now in tree pruning to combat the large and recurring outages that have been so difficult for customers.
More information on DTE’s tree pruning program is available through the link provided.
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