Michigan’s Consumers Energy intensifies forestry work near power lines

Jackson, Mich.-headquartered Consumers Energy on July 23 laid out plans to clear and remove trees along more than 7,000 miles of power lines this year as part of the energy provider’s stepped-up commitment to protect electrical equipment and reduce outages.

“Line clearing is some of the most visible work that Consumers Energy does every day, but it’s sometimes underappreciated as a cornerstone of our commitment to keeping the lights on for customers,” said Chris Laird, Consumers Energy’s vice president of electric operations. “We’re doing more work today and we’re being more strategic about that work than in the past, all to better serve our customers who count on us.”

As Michigan’s largest energy provider, providing natural gas and electricity to 6.8 million of the state’s 10 million residents in all 68 of the state’s Lower Peninsula counties, the company three years ago started a more aggressive effort to trim trees through the company’s Reliability Roadmap .

Today, Consumers Energy identifies electrical circuits where trees and vegetation most often lead to power outages near high- and low-voltage power lines and prioritizes them to be trimmed or cleared.

This year, the company plans to do forestry work on over 7,000 miles of lines and expects to do more than 7,000 miles a year going forward, Laird said.

The Reliability Roadmap, released last year, is the company’s long-term blueprint for combating more severe weather with upgrades in equipment, strategy, and technology. The goal is to reduce the number of power outages and restore power to all customers in 24 hours or less, no matter the situation.

“We have hundreds of Consumers Energy coworkers and Michigan contractors who do this important work, not just in the busy summer months but throughout the year,” said Laird. “It’s important that people understand the relationship between our forestry team’s work and the improvements in electric service that should be so important to everyone in our state.”

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