Consumers Energy monitors system health of our assets including pipeline, substations and generating assets. We also actively invest in the reliability of our assets to reduce both the number and length of power outages through modernizing our grid. Grid modernization refers to the planned process of investing in grid infrastructure improvements (e.g., poles, wires, relays, transformers), incorporating new technologies and applications into the electric system to increase reliability, optimize the delivery system and facilitate integration of more diverse energy resources.
To ensure assets are safe and reliable, we maintain the following:
- Inspection policies and asset databases
- Asset integrity management governance and oversight by our electric planning team
- Periodic asset integrity management training for employees with relevant job functions
- Rigorous risk identification and mitigation process
- Objectives, targets, and plans related to asset integrity management
- Asset-level monitoring and performance measurement for generation and high voltage distribution (HVD) system
- System, substation, circuit and protective-zone level performance measurement and monitoring for low voltage distribution (LVD)
- Periodic audits and assessments of our asset integrity management in rate cases
- Commitment to continuous improvement of our asset integrity management
- FERC licensing and rigorous safety inspections on our River Hydro and Ludington Pumped Storage facilities
- NERC and FERC auditing of our generation assets
- Compliance with State Boiler Laws and American Society of Mechanical Engineer (ASME) E pressure vessel codes
- One-to-three year internal inspections for all utility boilers (including heat recovery steam generation units)
- Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) approval of our asset integrity management programs
Click here to learn more about our reliability practices for natural gas and electricity