Thousands of Grandville residents woke to a familiar frustration on Monday morning. Their lights would not turn on. Their refrigerators went silent. Their phones needed charging.

A tap failure knocked out power to approximately 10,000 customers across Grandville, Wyoming, and Byron Township on May 25, according to WOOD TV8.

The outage began around 10:55 a.m. and lasted until approximately 5 p.m.

What caused the outage

Crews initially suspected a problem with a transmission line operated by ITC Michigan. They later determined the actual cause was a tap failure. That failure disrupted the connection between the ITC line and Consumers Energy substations.

Three substations were affected by the outage.

By 2:30 p.m., crews had restored power to two of the three substations. About 5,600 customers remained without power as of 3:30 p.m., according to the Consumers Energy outage map.

All power was restored by approximately 5 p.m.

What residents experienced

Grandville residents faced nearly seven hours without electricity on a weekday. That meant no air conditioning, no internet, and no ability to charge devices during the middle of the workday.

The outage hit during the final week of May. Temperatures in southwestern Michigan had been climbing into the 70s and low 80s in recent days, making the loss of cooling systems a particular inconvenience.

What Consumers Energy says is next

The outage comes as Consumers Energy prepares to file its 2027 Reliability Action Plan with the Michigan Public Service Commission on June 2, according to WNEM TV5.

The plan outlines investments aimed at reducing the frequency and duration of outages across the state.

"We want our customers to experience fewer outages — and when the power does go out, we’re focused on restoring it as quickly as possible," said Greg Salisbury, Consumers Energy's senior vice president of electric distribution.

Key elements of the plan include:

• Clearing trees from power lines, which Consumers Energy identifies as the number one cause of outages. The company plans to double its forestry work from 8,000 miles last year to 16,000 miles by 2030.
• Burying 50 miles of power lines underground. The company says underground lines improve reliability by 90 percent or more. Upcoming burial projects include work in Kent County.
• Adding sensors and automation devices to monitor the grid more effectively.
• Identifying and fixing circuits that experience frequent outages.

Consumers Energy reports that since 2020, the average electric customer has experienced one hour less without power in normal conditions. That represents a 28 percent drop, according to the company.

The state faced 20 percent more weather-driven outage events last year. Consumers Energy says its proactive work reduced customer impacts by 130,000 outages to homes and businesses.

What Grandville residents can expect

The tap failure that caused Monday's outage was an equipment issue rather than a weather event. Consumers Energy did not issue a specific statement about the Grandville outage beyond the outage map updates.

Residents who experienced billing issues or service problems related to the outage can contact Consumers Energy directly. The company says it has reached out to more than 30,000 people this year through phone calls and in-person events to help customers manage and pay their bills.

"We understand our friends and neighbors are facing rising costs, from gasoline to groceries," said Kelly Hall, Consumers Energy's senior vice president of regulatory and legal affairs. "We will continue to connect people with money-saving programs and assistance in their community while making upgrades that power their lives more reliably."

The full 2027 Reliability Action Plan will be available online after it is filed on June 2.