Activists gathered outside DTE Energy's Detroit headquarters on Wednesday to protest the utility's latest request to hike annual residential customer electricity rates by a total of $454 million.
The rate case filed with the Michigan Public Service Commission comes months after the agency approved an annual residential rate increase of $368 million.
Layla Elabed, with the grassroots group We the People, said DTE's investors benefit much more from the rate hikes than customers do.
"It is a daily struggle to afford our utility bills and it is a daily struggle to deal with the numerous power outages that consumers experience," Elabed said. "When the power goes out, hundreds of thousands of families are left sitting in the cold or the scorching heat without power, because DTE prioritizes profits over affordable reliable electricity for customers."
DTE responded in a statement.
"We’re focused on improving reliability across our service territory – reducing power outages by 30% and cutting outage time in half by 2029. This requires investments that will help us build a smarter, stronger and more resilient grid that will serve our customers for generations to come," the company said.
"We know that affordability is key for our customers, so as we invest, we’re committed to working as efficiently as possible, keeping residential bills below the national average and providing assistance to our most vulnerable customers."
DTE Energy is one of Michigan Public's corporate sponsors.
