By Kim Riley, Daily Energy Insider.

ORLANDO — Detroit-based DTE Energy, the state’s biggest electricity supplier, is also Michigan’s largest investor in and producer of renewable energy, Jerry Norcia, the company’s president and chief operating officer, said during the Edison Electric Institute’s (EEI) 52nd Financial Conference held here Nov. 5-8.

The Fortune 300 company’s growth has been driven by “strong, stable utilities and complementary non-utility businesses,” Norcia said Nov. 7 in disclosing the company’s latest financials during an EEI conference session simultaneously webcast the same day.

DTE’s operating units include the investor-owned electric utility that serves 2.2 million customers in southeastern Michigan and a natural gas utility serving 1.3 million customers statewide. The DTE Energy portfolio includes non-utility energy businesses focused on power and industrial projects, natural gas pipelines, storage and energy marketing and trading.

Opportunities for DTE Energy growth include the company’s transition to cleaner energy, automation and technology deployment, said Norcia, who outlined DTE’s five-year $17 billion capital investment plan — a 21 percent increase over the current plan — that is expected to extend the company’s current growth from 2018 through 2022.