COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Consumers Energy has reported significant improvements in power restoration times across Southwest Michigan following a comprehensive analysis of eight catastrophic storms between 2023 and July 2026.
According to data released on Monday, Consumers says they successfully restored power to more than 96% of affected customers within 24 hours and nearly all within 48 hours during a severe March 2026 storm.
They say the milestone represents the strongest restoration rate in the region over the three-year analysis period, despite the fact that 121,403 customers lost electricity.
Across the entire eight-storm study, customer interruptions ranged from 51,683 to 223,025 per event, with the utility consistently bouncing back faster over time to serve hard-hit territories including Branch County.
Company officials credit these notable gains to targeted grid modernization efforts executed under Consumers Energy’s Reliability Roadmap.
Greg Salisbury, senior vice president of electric distribution, emphasized that investments in proactive tree trimming, stronger poles, advanced weather forecasting, and the pre-staging of emergency crews are directly driving the accelerated recovery timelines.
The upward trend is also visible on a statewide scale for Michigan’s largest energy provider, which services 6.8 million residents across the Lower Peninsula.
Consumers claims the same March 2026 weather system that knocked out power to 350,827 households statewide, the company bounced back to restore over 80% of those accounts within a single day, marking its most efficient 24-hour statewide response among all the analyzed storms.
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