DTE Energy was established in 1996 and is headquartered in Detroit.[98] The company employs over 10,000 people who provide services across the nation and in 450 Michigan communities. Originally founded in 1903, the company was formerly named the Detroit Edison Company.[99]
Over the years, DTE Energy has been separated into various companies for a variety of business purposes and as a result of federal government policy. For example, the Energy Policy Act of 1992 and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission order 888 in 1996 required partial deregulation of the electricity industry to encourage broader access to electricity transmission infrastructure for electricity generators. This legislative action ensured all electricity generators are allowed access to the grid and are charged the same price any utility would charge to access the grid.[100] FERC described the goal of their order as “to remove impediments to competition in the wholesale bulk power marketplace and to bring more efficient, lower cost power to the Nation’s electricity consumers.”[101]
As a result, International Transmission Company, originally a subsidiary of DTE Energy, was separated from DTE in 1999 and then purchased by ITC Holdings Corporation in 2003.[102] ITC now owns and operates high-voltage electricity transmission lines in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.[103] DTE has retained its other generation and distribution assets.
DTE Energy is also the parent company for several subsidiary companies. These include:
DTE Electric is the largest subsidiary operating under the DTE Energy umbrella. It generates and provides electricity to 2.2 million customers across southeast Michigan. The company owns and operates 11,084 megawatts of electricity generation capacity, using a mix of coal, nuclear, natural gas, hydroelectric pumped storage, and renewable generation options, such as wind, solar, hydro, biomass and geothermal.[104] Its largest generation asset is the Fermi 2 nuclear plant, located just south of the Detroit metro area, which provides 30% of Michigan’s nuclear capacity.