General Motors stated late on Wednesday it will temporarily suspend procedures at 11 Michigan plants and its Warren Tech Center after an utility made an emergency appeal users to preserve natural gas during extreme wintertime cold.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV also stated it had terminated a shift on Thursday at both its Warren Truck and Sterling Heights Assembly plants and was thinking whether it would need to terminate additional shifts.
GM stated it had been asked by Consumers Energy, an unit of CMS Energy, to suspend operations to allow the utility to handle supply concerns after extreme cold temperature levels as well as a fire at a compressor station.
It stated employees were told not to report for the shifts at its Orion Assembly, Flint Assembly, Lansing Delta Township and Lansing Grand River Assembly plants, in addition to various other stamping and also transmission plants on Wednesday evening as well as early Thursday. GM stated it was still evaluating when workers can return to work.
Employees at its Warren Tech Center were also informed to stay home on Thursday.
In a video message published on Facebook, CMS Energy CEO Patricia Poppe stated large companies, consisting of Fiat Chrysler, Ford Motor and also GM, had agreed to “interrupt” production schedules through Friday to tackle the concern triggered by a fire at a Michigan center and the record-breaking cold.
Poppe stated the usage cuts by large companies were not enough, and advised 1.8 million Michigan consumers to turn down thermostats as much as they could to cut natural gas use in order to secure critical facilities like hospitals and nursing homes. “I need you to take action now,” she stated.
Ford Electric motor stated it had likewise taken steps to lower energy use at its four Michigan plants provided by Consumers Energy, but included the scenario remained fluid.
A spokeswoman stated it had lowered heating levels at Livonia Transmission and also Van Dyke Transmission, stopped heat treatment procedures at Sterling Axle and also shut down the paint process at Michigan Assembly.
Customers Energy sent an alert to mobile phones in Michigan asking residents to minimize natural gas usage.
