Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

Consumers Energy today announced its proposal to begin implementing the Reliability Roadmap, the company’s ambitious plan for a smarter and stronger electric grid. The proposal, which the company will file with the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) on Friday, includes more buried power lines, infrastructure upgrades and grid automation efforts to reduce the number and length of customer power outages all while supporting union jobs across our service territory.

Also included is a new wildfire risk mitigation plan, the first such plan by an energy provider in the Midwest, which will protect customers from increased wildfire risk if the National Weather Service issues a “red flag warning.” The plan includes prioritized tree trimming, equipment upgrades in wildfire risk areas and more effective monitoring.

"Wildfire risk in Michigan has grown in recent years, due to changing weather patterns that result in longer than usual dry periods throughout the state,” said Greg Salisbury, vice president of electric distribution engineering. “Our new plan aims to provide more reliable service to our customers while strengthening and protecting the grid against destructive wildfire risk throughout Consumers Energy’s service territory.”

The proposed plan also includes tactics to expand Consumers Energy’s goal to create a modern, stronger and more resilient power grid:

• Burying 35 miles of additional power lines to provide better protection from common outage causes, including lightning, high winds, tornadoes, heavy snow, ice and falling tree limbs.

• Infrastructure upgrades and proactive maintenance planning to find, fix and prevent issues to help the grid’s reliability and lower costs.

“This proposal shows our strong commitment to delivering more reliable, resilient energy for every customer,” said Chris Laird, vice president of electric operations. “We will not let up until our grid is stronger and smarter, and we’ll do it in a way that keeps costs down – preventative measures are 40 percent less expensive to fix than responding to problems. We look forward to working with the Michigan Public Service Commission and others to move ahead with our plan.”