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Asset Retirement Obligations
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2025
Asset Retirement Obligation Disclosure [Abstract]  
Asset Retirement Obligations ASSET RETIREMENT OBLIGATIONS
DTE Electric has a legal retirement obligation for the decommissioning costs for its Fermi 1 and Fermi 2 nuclear plants, dismantlement of facilities located on leased property, and various other operations. DTE Electric has conditional retirement obligations for asbestos and PCB removal at certain of its power plants and various distribution equipment. DTE Gas has conditional retirement obligations for gas pipelines, certain service centers, and compressor and gate stations. The Registrants recognize such obligations as liabilities at fair market value when they are incurred, which generally is at the time the associated assets are placed in service. Fair value is measured using expected future cash outflows discounted at the Registrants' credit-adjusted risk-free rate. For its utility operations, the Registrants recognize in the Consolidated Statements of Operations removal costs in accordance with regulatory treatment. Any differences between costs recognized related to asset retirement and those reflected in rates are recognized as either a Regulatory asset or liability on the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position.
If a reasonable estimate of fair value cannot be made in the period in which the retirement obligation is incurred, such as for assets with indeterminate lives, the liability is recognized when a reasonable estimate of fair value can be made. Natural gas storage system and certain other distribution assets for DTE Gas and substations, manholes, and certain other distribution assets for DTE Electric have an indeterminate life. Therefore, no liability has been recorded for these assets.
Changes to Asset retirement obligations for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024, and 2023 were as follows:
202520242023
DTE Energy(In millions)
Asset retirement obligations at January 1$4,031 $3,556 $3,460 
Accretion239 211 198 
Liabilities incurred32 324 7 
Liabilities settled(10)(14)(96)
Revision in estimated cash flows(a)
177 (46)(13)
Asset retirement obligations at December 31$4,469 $4,031 $3,556 
_______________________________________
(a)Revision in estimated cash flows was primarily due to the impact of the CCR regulations on DTE Electric's coal ash storage facility asset retirement obligations, as well as revision of estimated cash flows related to DTE Electric's Fermi 1 obligations. Refer to Note 18 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, "Commitments and Contingencies," for additional information regarding the CCR regulations.
202520242023
DTE Electric(In millions)
Asset retirement obligations at January 1$3,791 $3,326 $3,221 
Accretion226 199 185 
Liabilities incurred32 323 4 
Liabilities settled(9)(11)(81)
Revision in estimated cash flows(a)
177 (46)(3)
Asset retirement obligations at December 31$4,217 $3,791 $3,326 
_______________________________________
(a)Revision in estimated cash flows was primarily due to the impact of the CCR regulations on DTE Electric's coal ash storage facility asset retirement obligations, as well as revision of estimated cash flows related to DTE Electric's Fermi 1 obligations. Refer to Note 18 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, "Commitments and Contingencies," for additional information regarding the CCR regulations.
Approximately $3.1 billion of the Asset retirement obligations represent nuclear decommissioning liabilities that are funded through a surcharge to electric customers over the life of the Fermi 2 nuclear plant. The NRC has jurisdiction over the decommissioning of nuclear power plants and requires minimum decommissioning funding based upon a formula. The MPSC and FERC regulate the recovery of costs of decommissioning nuclear power plants and both require the use of external trust funds to finance the decommissioning of Fermi 2. Rates approved by the MPSC provide for the recovery of decommissioning costs of Fermi 2 and the disposal of low-level radioactive waste. DTE Electric believes the MPSC collections will be adequate to fund the estimated cost of decommissioning. The decommissioning assets, anticipated earnings thereon, and future revenues from decommissioning collections will be used to decommission Fermi 2. DTE Electric expects the liabilities to be reduced to zero at the conclusion of the decommissioning activities. If amounts remain in the trust funds for Fermi 2 following the completion of the decommissioning activities, those amounts will be disbursed based on rulings by the MPSC and FERC.
A portion of the funds recovered through the Fermi 2 decommissioning surcharge and deposited in external trust accounts is designated for the removal of non-radioactive assets and returning the site to greenfield. This removal and greenfielding is not considered a legal liability. Therefore, it is not included in the asset retirement obligation, but is reflected as the Nuclear decommissioning liability. The decommissioning of Fermi 1 is funded by DTE Electric. Contributions to the Fermi 1 trust are discretionary. For additional discussion of Nuclear decommissioning trust fund assets, see Note 12 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, "Fair Value."
In the third quarter of 2025, DTE Electric initiated preparatory steps to facilitate the license termination of the Fermi 1 facility, as required by the NRC. The NRC mandates license termination by 2032. Following management's reassessment of project timing and estimated cash flows, the Registrants recorded an additional $47 million accrual related to the decommissioning of Fermi 1. The expense is reflected in Asset (gains) losses and impairments, net in the Registrants' Consolidated Statements of Operations. Key risks to successful project completion remain, primarily due to uncertainties around contamination levels in piping and volume of waste material. The estimate may be revised as more site-specific information becomes available.