As Ann Arbor eyes move away from gas, DTE Energy investing billions in it – MLive.com

ANN ARBOR, MI — Neighborhood by neighborhood, DTE Energy is making big investments in gas infrastructure in Ann Arbor, replacing thousands of home gas lines.

While the Detroit-based utility company sees gas as part of the area’s energy future, Ann Arbor’s 2030 A2Zero carbon-neutrality plan calls for moving away from fossil fuels, getting residents and businesses across the city to make their buildings all-electric and powered by 100% renewable energy.

While DTE’s investments and Ann Arbor’s nine-year goals seem at odds, the utility maintains the new gas lines are necessary, while local officials have mixed feelings.

“This is exactly why you have to read between the lines to find the truth when it comes to promises corporations like DTE make,” said state Rep. Yousef Rabhi, D-Ann Arbor.

“They say they are moving to net zero on one hand, while dumping millions into fossil fuel infrastructure on the other. It is disappointing that DTE has decided to spend our ratepayer money building soon-to-be obsolete infrastructure that rarely has service interruptions instead of upgrading the electrical infrastructure which seems to be a weekly problem for them.”

Investing in more fossil fuel infrastructure is throwing away good money that could be used to harden the power grid and transition to renewable energy, Rabhi said.

DTE-hired crews from Corby Energy Services carried out more gas line replacements in Ann Arbor’s Old West Side historic neighborhood this past week. In some cases, pipes being replaced are more than 100 years old.

DTE officials declined to say how much the current round of work is costing or how many homes it covers, nor will the company disclose the cost per home for new gas lines.

In broader strokes, DTE acknowledges it’s investing billions of dollars in new gas infrastructure statewide, and thousands of customers in Ann Arbor are getting new gas lines.

“By the end of 2021, DTE will have upgraded our infrastructure for 4,500 homes in Ann Arbor and we plan to complete upgrades for nearly 17,000 additional customers in the coming years,” DTE spokeswoman Colleen Creagh Rosso said.

The upgrades not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions now, but provide infrastructure for the next generation of energy, including “renewable natural gas” and hydrogen, Rosso said.

DTE also plans to invest $20 million in upgrading Ann Arbor’s power grid over the next couple years to increase power reliability and capacity in parts of the city.

As part of the company’s Gas Renewal Program, expected to cost $3.5 billion over 17 years, DTE is replacing cast iron and steel pipes with more reliable plastic pipes across its service territory in Michigan, Rosso said.

“These modernized pipes will reduce methane emissions by the equivalent of removing 100,000 cars from the road,” she said. “Our gas customers can also partner with us to help improve the environment by subscribing to our Natural Gas Balance Program, which provides them with the ability to offset up to 100% of the natural gas emissions from their homes and small businesses.”

DTE wouldn’t comment on whether it would consider giving homeowners who want to transition away from gas the option of a monetary credit equal to the cost of a gas line replacement to instead invest in making their homes all-electric.

The Gas Renewal Program has been approved by the Michigan Public Service Commission and it’s essentially a moot point to discuss diverting funds, Rosso said. The program is part of an agreement with the MPSC to ensure safety of the system and reduce methane emissions, she said.

“It is, therefore, required by the state,” Rosso said.

The city’s sustainability office, which is leading the city’s A2Zero carbon-neutrality push, declined to comment, while the city’s elected leaders expressed mixed feelings.

While the city’s goal is to expand electrification and move away from burning fossil fuels, city officials also want existing gas service to be safe until full electrification can be achieved.

“I am disappointed, but I also need to measure it against being responsible and knowing that we can have failures if we don’t replace these,” said Council Member Ali Ramlawi, D-5th Ward, though he added, “Perhaps this is another one of those follies, that they invest in an outdated infrastructure.”

Council Member Erica Briggs, D-5th Ward, also sees both sides of the issue.

“While I’d prefer to see DTE investing in clean energy, these replacements are critical,” she said. “It is my understanding that DTE has prioritized these lines because of the age of the infrastructure, potential for leaks, and population density. These improvements will make our neighborhoods safer.”

Briggs said she still hopes DTE makes more investments to improve electrical service reliability and transition more quickly to greener energy sources, and she likes the idea of giving homeowners the choice of electrical upgrades versus gas upgrades for those who want to go all-electric.

DTE is committed to a clean energy future and is the largest investor in renewable energy in the state, but natural gas plays a key role in its sustainability goals by providing safety, reliability and affordability that’s important to customers, Rosso said.

MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS:

Ann Arbor homeowners use solar backup batteries to weather power outages

Power outages lead to renewed talks of creating public electric utility for Ann Arbor

DTE Energy hopes Ann Arbor nixes idea of creating its own electric utility

Ann Arbor-area bus services being restored to pre-pandemic levels

Ann Arbor implements COVID-19 vaccine mandate for city employees

Original Source: https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2021/08/as-ann-arbor-eyes-move-away-from-gas-dte-energy-investing-billions-in-it.html