DTE Energy Finalizes DOE Grant for SmartCurrents Program

DETROIT, April 27 /PRNewswire/ -- DTE Energy and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have signed an agreement finalizing a nearly $84 million grant that will enable DTE Energy to accelerate deployment of "Smart Grid" technology in Michigan.

The SmartCurrents initiative involves the development of a high-tech electrical infrastructure to prepare for new technologies that will provide customers with ways to better manage their energy consumption.

The DOE funding, which was announced last October under the federal economic stimulus program, will be matched by the company and its technology partners, bringing the total investment to accelerate the program to nearly $170 million. The program will afford customers improved electric service reliability, the distribution of smart appliances and ways to control and reduce energy consumption and costs.

During 2010 and 2011, Detroit Edison and MichCon will install 600,000 new "smart" meters in portions of Wayne, Oakland, Livingston, Lapeer, Ingham and Tuscola counties. These meters will serve as the technological backbone for the SmartCurrents program. DTE Energy already has piloted the meters in Grosse Ile, Harsen's Island and in a portion of Bloomfield Township.

As the program implementation proceeds, every electric meter in Southeast Michigan will be replaced with solid state meters and every gas meter will be modified with an advanced metering module. Customers will be notified when meter changes are scheduled in their communities during the next several years.

The program will serve as a platform to eliminate manual meter reading and provide remote monitoring of the electric distribution system, which will enable faster and more reliable power outage detection and restoration. DTE Energy also will have the ability to connect meters remotely. The program also will enable customers to manage their bills by tracking their consumption and demand via the DTE Energy Web site.

The program is expected to result in the creation of 700 deployment and construction jobs for information technology contractors and overhead linemen, and 350 permanent supplier positions.

The SmartCurrents program is DTE Energy's contribution to the nation's Smart Grid, which uses the latest technologies across the country's electric system to allow consumers to make choices that save them money and improve the environment.

The SmartCurrents program, besides advanced metering technology, includes technologies that address improved electric distribution service and electric rates that incentivize off-peak electrical usage, web-based customer energy usage presentation and customer outage notification. In addition, certain "smart" appliances could communicate with DTE Energy to provide optimum energy savings.

As a result of the DOE funding, DTE Energy will have the opportunity to offer technology with in-home displays and high tech thermostats to 5,000 customers, and make improvements to 11 substations and 55 circuits over the next two years in a pilot program.

Customers interested in signing up to receive program updates and information can go to http://smartcurrents.com/.

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 Detroit Edison, an electric utility serving 2.1 million customers in Southeastern Michigan, MichCon, a natural gas utility serving 1.2 million customers in Michigan and other non-utility, energy businesses focused on gas pipelines and storage, coal transportation, unconventional gas production and power and industrial projects. Information about DTE Energy is available at dteenergy.com.

SOURCE DTE Energy