DTE Power Outage Updates

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DTE Updates

March 27, 2023

Our crews have made significant progress restoring power, and we expect to restore power to all customers affected by the end of today. This update will be the last update you will receive regarding our storm response. Thank you for your continued support and patience.

All Remaining Customers Affected are to be Restored Today
As of 7:30 am, approximately 99% of customer outages reported on March 25th have been restored, and ~400 outages remain. Additional ~3,900 outages were reported throughout the day yesterday. Additional outages are common to be reported after the weather begins to clear the next day. We expect to have all ~4,300 customer outages restored by the end of today. All schools were restored yesterday by the early evening.

March 25, 2023
Storm Update: Up to 60mph Gusts Passed through Michigan, Safety Top Priority
Yesterday, a significant weather event passed through Michigan with strong winds and gusts up to 60mph, damaging trees, bringing down power lines, and causing outages.  

Our crews have been and continue to be in the field actively addressing the situation by securing downed wires, assessing the damage, and restoring power. We know that being without power is very challenging for our customers, and we are committed to restoring power to all customers as safely and quickly as possible.  

The public’s safety will always remain our top priority during and after any weather event. Please exercise extreme caution around downed power lines and maintain a distance of at least 25 feet away from any fallen power lines. 

Crews in the Field are Making Progress
Total customers affected by the weather event is approximately 46,000. As of 7:30 am, approximately 60% of customers affected by the storm have been restored overnight, and approximately 18,500 outages remain. We expect to have 95% of all customers affected by the storm restored by the end of the day. Restoring power to schools is a priority. We expect to restore most school outages by the end of the day. Weather forecast predicts a sunny morning and mild conditions this afternoon.

March 17, 2023
We are Committed to Improving Reliability, Investments are Key
In recent weeks, our nation and the state of Michigan faced a series of severe weather events, including our largest ice storm in 50 years, followed by a heavy snowstorm and 45+ mph winds, which caused hundreds of thousands of our customers to lose power. What was once considered a “historic” storm has now become the unwelcome norm, and the severity of this new norm is challenging us and our infrastructure to adapt and adjust. 

On behalf of the entire DTE team, we sincerely apologize to those affected by the power outages during the recent waves of extreme weather events. Our customers and communities that we serve deserve better performance from our electric grid and DTE Energy. We know this and wholeheartedly accept the responsibility of working together to invest in our grid to improve its reliability and performance for our customers. 

To Improve Reliability, We Must Accelerate Investments into the Grid
DTE Electric President and COO Trevor Lauer recently visited Lansing to initiate discussions with legislators on how we can improve electric reliability for our customers. To see dramatically improved performance, we must invest in the grid faster to outpace the rate at which we are experiencing severe weather. 

To do this, we need support from the Michigan Public Service Commission and stakeholders in DTE's regulatory filings. In February of this year, we filed with the Michigan Public Service Commission for a rate review of our base electric rates. We know that no one wants to pay more for electricity, and we as a state must do everything we can to make electricity reliable and resilient while maintaining affordability. But, while our current pace of investments in the electric grid has yielded improvements for our customers with base rates remaining nearly flat since 2020, we need to do more to speed up these investments to continue reducing the frequency and duration of outages that disrupt life at home, schools, and businesses.

Smart Grid Automation
We need to drive for full automation of the electric grid within 5 to 6 years – which can fundamentally reduce the duration of outages by allowing us to re-route power on the grid during an outage.

Tree Trimming
We must continue our investment in enhanced tree trimming. We know that the majority of the time our customers spend without power is due to tree interference. In areas where tree trimming is up-to-date, customers experience a 60-70% improvement in overall reliability.

Preventative Maintenance
We must continue preventative maintenance and updating the existing infrastructure – specifically, poles, cross arms, braces, wires, and other equipment that makes the electrical system more reliable and resilient. In 2022, on those most challenged circuits where DTE completed this type of focused maintenance and work, customers experienced a 40-70% improvement in overall reliability.

Rebuild the Grid and Undergrounding
We need to continue the complete rebuild of the older portions of our grid to a modern design. In some instances where it makes sense, we plan to pursue the undergrounding of our distribution system.

 What Can You Do?
The Michigan Public Service Commission will hold a series of town hall meetings to take public comments on power outages from the recent winter storms. We believe engaging all stakeholders is vital to improving the reliability of our grid. As such, we want to ensure that you are informed about these public forums and have the opportunity to participate. By working together, we can deliver on accelerating the investment that our grid needs and our customers deserve for reliable power. 

The Michigan Public Service Commission will hold two in-person town halls on March 20 as well as a virtual town hall meeting on March 21.

Jackson Town Hall on March 20, 2023
12:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
American 1 Credit Union Event Center
128 W. Ganson St.
Jackson, MI

Dearborn Town Hall on March 20, 2023
5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Fordson High School Auditorium
13800 Ford Road
Dearborn, MI 

Virtual Town Hall on March 21, 2023
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Click here for the event reservation page.
* A link to participate through Microsoft Teams will be posted closer to the day of the virtual town hall on the event's webpage.

Written comments also may be submitted by mail to Executive Secretary, Michigan Public Service Commission, P.O. Box 30221, Lansing, MI 48909, or by email to mpscedockets@michigan.gov.

March 5, 2023
Thank you for your patience and helping us share our message on safety and resources. We understand how difficult the current situation is for our customers. Please know that our dedicated teams continue to work tirelessly in the field to restore power to every customer. 

DTE Crews are Making Progress

• Yesterday, we restored over 150,000 of the approximately 220,000 customers that lost power due to the recent snowstorm.
• As of 8 am, approximately 65,000 customers remain without power, and we are targeting to restore 90% of all customers impacted by today. 
• A key focus is restoring power to affected schools before Monday's classes resume. 
• As we better understand the level of damage on the grid, we are targeting to have estimates for all remaining customers today.

Feb. 28, 2023

Thank you for your continued patience. Here is your 2/28 update:
Nearly 98% of Customers Affected by Recent Ice Storm Restored

- As of 8 a.m. today, DTE has restored more than 615,000 of the 630,000 customers impacted by the recent ice storm.

- Many remaining outages are “singles,” referring to isolated outages affecting only one or two customers. Unlike larger outages where crews can restore power to hundreds at once, “singles” require crews to travel from place to place to address each outage, which may take more time to restore safely.  

- Yesterday, DTE announced that an automatic bill credit of $35 will be applied to customers who experienced a power outage for more than 96 consecutive hours due to the February 22nd ice storm. No action is required on the customer’s part to receive credit. It may take up to 90 days for the credit to appear on customer bills. 

- As of last night, all school outages resulting from the February 22nd ice storm have been restored.

Persistent Winter Conditions Remain a Factor
- Yesterday, a combination of windy and icy conditions affected most of our service area, which created challenging working conditions for our field crews and resulted in new outages and wire downs. 
- Despite yesterday’s weather conditions, crews continued to work around the clock to restore power to all customers affected as quickly and safely as possible. 
- Yesterday’s weather conditions created new school outages, which we are addressing today as quickly and safely as possible. 
- Safety remains a top priority for all DTE employees and field crews, especially as exhaustion sets in.
- Weather forecasts indicate high winds but will diminish through the afternoon. Please note that strong wind conditions may slow our restoration process, as crews are unable to safely operate bucket trucks in high winds. 

Feb. 27, 2023
Good morning,
Thank you for your continued patience. Here is your 2/27 morning update.  

Below please find a set of frequently asked questions (FAQ) cards related to the recent storm restoration effort. 
     



DTE Restores More Than 95% of Customers Affected by Recent Ice Storm

As of 7 a.m., the DTE Storm Response Team restored more than 600,000 of the 630,000 customers impacted by the recent ice storm.

Crews will continue working around the clock to restore power to all remaining customers who experienced an outage during the storm, in addition to customers who recently lost power due to events that are not storm related.

DTE meteorologists have also been tracking a weather system that is expected to bring the potential for wintry mix and freezing rain today and wind gusts up to 45 mph on Tuesday.

Our Emergency Response Teams are prepared to respond as quickly and safely as possible if this incoming weather system impacts customers' power. 

Safety Tips re: Downed Power Lines  


Michigan Warming Centers  
With frigid temperatures sweeping the state, DTE is reminding customers that warming centers are available to provide relief from the cold. Each location is subject to availability and capacity restrictions – please call in advance for current information and only travel if the conditions are safe. Click here for more information or to locate a warming center. A full list of warming stations in Oakland County is available at this link.

DTE Videos  

"My Neighbor Has Power...Why Don't I?"
Ryan Stowe, vice president of Distribution Operations, explains how the location of damage on our grid can determine what sections of a neighborhood lose power.



Outages After a Storm
Ryan Stowe, vice president of Distribution Operations, explains why some customers had power when storms rolled through our service territory but then experienced an outage later.