MICHIGAN, USA — A recent study that looked at major power outages in states across the country lists Michigan as having one of the highest rates of weather-related outages.
The study, conducted by Climate Central, looked at power outages that affected more than 50,000 people between 2000 and 2023.
It found that Michigan had one of the highest rates of weather-related outages.
The study found that Michigan had 157 weather-related outages between the dates listed above. Only Texas had more, with 210 weather-related outages.
Michigan appeared to be an outlier in the Midwest, having around double the weather-related outages of states with similar climates like Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. Michigan also had over six times the weather-related outages than Wisconsin.
Here are how many weather-related outages that other Midwest states experienced:
- Michigan - 157
- Ohio - 87
- Illinois - 70
- Indiana - 61
- Minnesota - 25
- Wisconsin - 24
- Iowa - 13
It is important to note that Michigan, Ohio and Illinois have larger populations than other states in the Midwest, making it more likely that more than 50,000 people would be affected by weather-related outages.
In addition to the 157 weather-related outages, Michigan also experienced 17 additional major outages between 2000 and 2023.
Michigan has several utility companies that service the state's electrical grid, with the two largest being Consumers Energy and DTE.
Those two utility companies have created plans to increase the reliability of their grids after recent public backlash and legislative pressure.
Consumers Energy recently announced that they would be burying power lines in six counties and installing 1,200 iron utility poles, which are said to be stronger and more reliable than the current wooden ones. The utility provider is also taking other measures to increase grid reliability that are outlined in their "Reliability Roadmap."
DTE has also made similar plan spanning the next five years with projects to improve grid reliability. DTE's plan includes projects like trimming 30,000 miles of trees and rebuilding some of the oldest sections of their grid. You can read more about their plan here.
The study also found that weather-related outages have been increasingly quickly across the entire United States.
The study used data from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Form OE-417 reports between 2000 and 2023. Major outages are considered outages that affect more than 50,000 people or interrupt service of 300 megawatts or more. You can read more about the methodology used here.
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