Production Halted At Several GM Plants During Natural Gas Shortage

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FLINT, Mich. (WWJ) -- General Motors halted production for a time at several plants amid a natural gas shortage caused by a fire at a Consumers Energy compressor station Wednesday morning.

GM announced Wednesday night it has obliged a request from Consumers to suspend operations at several manufacturing sites to allow the utility to manage supply issues brought on by the extreme temperatures and equipment issues at the utility. 

GM operations were suspended Thursday morning at the following SE Michigan locations:

  • Orion Assembly,
  • Pontiac Stamping,
  • Flint Assembly, Flint Stamping, Flint Engine, and Flint Tool & Die,
  • Lansing Delta Township Assembly, Lansing Grand River Assembly, Lansing Regional Stamping, and Lansing Grand River Stamping,
  • Warren Transmission and the Warren Tech Center.

In a statement Thursday afternoon, GM said, in cooperation with Consumers Energy, it was starting limited operations at Lansing Regional Stamping, Flint Stamping, Flint Engine, Pontiac Stamping and Warren Transmission on the second shift Thursday. GM officials said they're taking it shift-by-shift, location-by-location – telling employees to check with supervisors before they go in. 

MORE: Fiat Chrysler Idles Macomb County Plants Due To Gas Shortage

Consumers Energy has also asked Michigan residents and other businesses to reduce gas usage. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called for residents to keep their thermostats at 65 degrees or less until noon on Friday.

GM made several exceptions, as a number of plants will continue production, including the Milford Proving Ground, the GM Renaissance Center, Willow Run and Ypsilanti CCA facilities, and the Center for Human Resources, as they are powered by DTE – employees at those locations should report to work.

"Safety is our overriding priority at General Motors and we encourage everyone to take the necessary precautions due to these extreme weather conditions," the company said.

Hourly and salaried employees at impacted GM manufacturing facilities should call their plant hotline or the following number for details: 1-877-464-6854 (1-877-GMHOTLIne).

The shortage on gas comes as frigid temperatures and dangerous wind chills grip the state. Temps were reported as low as 12 degrees below zero in Detroit Wednesday night.