Consumers Energy, a provider of natural gas and electricity in Michigan and a subsidiary of CMS Energy, announced it has purchased 1,200 iron utility poles, a $3.5 million investment, in an effort to make overhead power lines more resilient.
The utility says these poles are stronger, lighter and longer lasting than their traditional wooden counterpart, as they are engineered to resist fire and the effects of Michigan’s harsh weather, and are not vulnerable to wood decay, woodpeckers, insects or other wildlife.
“These new iron poles will fortify our infrastructure, reducing the number of times that homes and businesses lose power,” said Greg Salisbury, Consumers Energy’s vice president of electric distribution engineering. “Their ability to withstand the elements will protect the power lines and help to reduce customer outages in the future.”
The iron poles are expected to last upwards of 80 years, Consumers Energy said, which is approximately double the lifespan of a wood pole. This longer lifecycle, combined with recent shortages and increasing prices of wood, prompted Consumers Energy to source and install iron poles this year.
“Installing these initial iron poles is another meaningful step toward modernizing the grid and improving reliability for our customers.” said Chris Laird, Consumers Energy’s vice president of electric operations. “When the weather is good, you’ll see our crews busy at work this year installing poles safely and quickly to make sure we’re ready for storms.”
Consumers Energy is delivering the first iron poles to the Kalamazoo, Greenville, and Tawas areas. They will initially be installed at selected new construction sites that are accessible to bucket trucks. Following this first phase of implementation, installations will expand to other areas and replace existing wooden poles throughout the Consumers Energy service territory.
The introduction of iron poles is the latest tactic to be deployed as part of the Reliability Roadmap, Consumers Energy’s plan for grid reliability and resilience. The plan includes investments in smart technology and automation, forestry work, and infrastructure upgrades.
Consumers Energy provides natural gas and/or electricity to 6.8 million of the Michigan’s 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.
