Consumers Energy's Reliability Roadmap Cuts Outages, Strengthens Michigan Grid

Reliability Roadmap reduces outages, strengthens Michigan grid

JACKSON, Mich. — Consumers Energy says its multi-year Reliability Roadmap is materially improving electric system resilience in Michigan by combining targeted capital work, preventative maintenance and new sensing and automation technology. In a Feb. 18 release, Greg Salisbury, senior vice president and president of the electric grid, says the company is delivering “a stronger, smarter grid” while being thoughtful about spending customer dollars after a period of extreme weather.

Consumers Energy reports that about 80% of customer rate increases over the past five years fund reliability improvements and related work. Under the Reliability Roadmap the company completes nearly 2,700 low- and high-voltage distribution reliability projects in 2025, builds three new substations, and executes seven fractionalization projects to break the grid into smaller, more manageable sections. The utility also installs 32,173 utility poles, inspects 26,069 miles of power lines using crews, helicopters and drones, and clears trees and limbs from more than 8,000 miles of lines to reduce storm vulnerability.

The company attributes measurable outage reductions and operational savings to those investments and processes. Despite a 20% rise in weather-driven outage events this season — including historic ice storms, extreme winds and one of the most active tornado seasons since 1950 — Consumers Energy says the upgrades reduce customer impacts by about 130,000 outages. Improved storm forecasting and planning also generates roughly $15 million in savings by enabling more efficient crew responses, and automated equipment such as 31 automatic transfer restored (ATR) loops and 96 reclosers limit the number of customers affected and shorten outage duration.

Customer rates and spending discipline

Consumers Energy emphasizes that rising household costs make careful deployment of customer-funded investments a priority. Chris Fultz, vice president of low voltage distribution, notes the company focuses on targeted investments and preventative maintenance to strengthen reliability, reduce outages and limit future upward pressure on rates.

Technology and operational outcomes

Beyond hardening and vegetation work, the company deploys more than 12,000 line sensors and uses automation to reroute power where possible, while inspections and fractionalization improve response times. Executives say these combined measures improve resilience against severe weather and help control long-term costs for customers.