SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Jan. 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Edison
Electric Institute (EEI) presented DTE Energy with the
association's "Emergency Recovery Award" on Wednesday for its
outstanding power restoration efforts after tropical storm-force
winds hit Southeast Michigan in
March 2017.
The award is presented to recognize energy companies'
extraordinary efforts to restore power to customers after service
disruptions caused by severe weather conditions or other natural
events. The winners were chosen by a panel of judges following an
international nomination process, and the awards were
presented during EEI's Winter Board
and Chief Executives Meeting in Scottsdale.
On March 8, 2017, Southeast Michigan experienced six hours of
wind gusts greater than 60 mph, resulting in extensive damage to
the region's energy system. The storm, which was the largest
weather event in DTE's history, impacted nearly 800,000 customers.
Crews from DTE Energy restored service to more than 90 percent of
customers in four days, dedicating 660,000 man-hours to restoration
efforts. Energy companies from seven other states sent crews to
Michigan to help with the efforts
as well.
"The tireless work by DTE Energy crews during the severe
windstorm in March exemplifies our industry's commitment to
customer service," said EEI President Tom
Kuhn. "DTE Energy's crews worked diligently to safely
restore service to customers, and are very deserving of this
award."
"While we faced many obstacles during this catastrophic event,
our employees made me extremely proud because they responded to the
challenge with tireless energy," said Gerry
Anderson, DTE Energy chairman and CEO. "We know the outages
caused by the storm created hardship for many of our customers, and
that is why our employees worked around the clock until the last
customer was restored. Thank you to EEI for recognizing this
historic effort."
About DTE Energy
DTE Energy (NYSE:DTE) is a Detroit-based diversified energy company
involved in the development and management of energy-related
businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include an
electric utility serving 2.2 million customers in Southeastern Michigan and a natural gas
utility serving 1.3 million customers in Michigan. The DTE Energy portfolio includes
non-utility energy businesses focused on power and industrial
projects, natural gas pipelines, gathering and storage, and energy
marketing and trading. As one of Michigan's leading corporate citizens, DTE
Energy is a force for growth and prosperity in the 450 Michigan
communities it serves in a variety of ways, including philanthropy,
volunteerism and economic progress. Information about DTE Energy is
available at dteenergy.com, empoweringmichigan.com,
twitter.com/dte_energy and facebook.com/dteenergy.
About Edison Electric Institute
EEI is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned
electric companies. Our members provide electricity for 220 million
Americans, and operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As a whole, the electric
power industry supports more than 7 million jobs in communities
across the United States. In
addition to our U.S. members, EEI has more than 60 international
electric companies as International Members, and hundreds of
industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate
Members.
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SOURCE DTE Energy