DTE Energy—a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services in the US and Canada—is seeking proposals by June 27, 2025, for new standalone energy storage projects totaling about 450 MW.
Eligible energy storage projects located in Michigan must be interconnected to the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) or distribution-level transmission system, and should reach commercial operation by the end of 2028, as part of the criteria specified.
The request for proposals (RFP) supports DTE’s efforts to deploy nearly 3 GW of energy storage by 2042, as outlined in its integrated resource plan, including 240 MW to be deployed by 2027 and 520 MW more from 2028 to 2032.
DTE expects to execute contracts for projects in its latest energy storage procurement by the first quarter of 2026.
In May 2024, DTE had issued a similar RFP for 120 MW of standalone energy storage resources, which also required projects to be located in Michigan and interconnected to the MISO or distribution grids.
DTE said the energy storage procurements are driven by its growing wind and solar fleet, and by Michigan’s carbon-free power law, which includes renewable portfolio targets of 50 per cent by 2030 and 60 per cent by 2035. The law also requires state utilities to submit the necessary applications to the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) to meet their share of the law’s 2,500 MW energy storage target by the end of 2029.
DTE already operates two Michigan battery installations co-located with solar power plants and the 2,292 MW Ludington pumped-hydropower plant it co-owns with Consumers Energy. In addition, its 14 MW/56 MWh Slocum battery energy storage system (BESS) installation, which DTE describes as a pilot project, recently began commercial operations.
DTE has also announced plans to deploy a 220 MW/880 MWh standalone BESS installation, which it says will be the largest in the Great Lakes region in 2026, at its retired Trenton CFhannel coal-fired power plant.
Though DTE has not yet announced any other coal-to-storage repowering projects, it agreed to move up its planned phaseout of coal power from 2035 to 2032, and add 400 MW of additional renewable generating capacity by 2030 as part of a 2023 settlement with Michigan regulators. That settlement also saw DTE increase its 2030 storage commitment to 780 MW, up from 360 MW previously, and boost its distributed generation allowance six-fold to as much as 6 per cent of peak load.
For its part, Consumers Energy will aim to deploy 75 MW of energy storage resources by 2027 and 550 MW by 2040 under a 2022 settlement with the MPSC.