Consumers Energy Doubles Forestry Work to 16,000 Miles, Buries 50 Miles Underground
CMS•Consumers Energy will file its 2027 Reliability Action Plan June 2, doubling tree-clearing to 16,000 miles by 2030 and burying 50 miles of power lines to boost reliability over 90%. Since 2021, average outage time per customer fell by one hour (28%), and 130,000 outages were prevented in 2025.
1. Filing 2027 Reliability Action Plan
Consumers Energy will file its 2027 Reliability Action Plan with the Michigan Public Service Commission on June 2, seeking approval for investments designed to reduce outage frequency and duration across its Lower Peninsula service territory.
2. Record Reliability Gains Since 2021
Since 2021, average power interruption time per customer has dropped by 28% (one hour), and last year, proactive measures prevented 130,000 outages despite a 20% increase in weather-driven events.
3. Major Infrastructure Initiatives
The plan allocates 75 cents of every customer dollar to grid upgrades, doubling forestry work from 8,000 to 16,000 miles by 2030, burying 50 miles of lines, and deploying sensors and automation to monitor and address faults swiftly.
4. Customer Affordability and Support
In parallel with system improvements, Consumers Energy has reached out to over 30,000 customers this year to connect them with bill assistance and money-saving programs to offset rising living costs.
