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NOVI, Mich. (Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025) – ITC Michigan was announced as an Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Emergency Response Award recipient. Presented to EEI member companies twice a year, the Emergency Response Awards recognize recovery and assistance efforts of electric companies following service disruptions caused by extreme weather or other natural events. The winners were chosen by a panel of judges following an international nomination process. The awards were presented during EEI’s Fall Board of Directors and Chief Executives Meeting.

“America’s electric companies and their dedicated workforces work tirelessly throughout the year to strengthen the energy grid and to restore power—and peace of mind—for American families and businesses after extreme weather events and natural disasters,” said EEI President and CEO Drew Maloney. “EEI is proud to recognize ITC Michigan for its extraordinary response efforts following the spring 2025 northern Michigan ice storm. This recovery award reflects ITC Michigan and its storm response team’s incredible commitment to the customers and communities they serve.”

Between March 28 and 30, 2025, a powerful blast of winter weather swept across much of northern and parts of southcentral Michigan, unleashing severe ice accumulation that triggered widespread power outages. On March 30, a separate, destructive windstorm struck, spawning nine confirmed tornadoes and inflicting significant damage to ITC Michigan’s infrastructure in both southern and northern parts of the state. With outages affecting 23 transmission lines and 17 substations, it marked the most devastating system damage in ITC Michigan’s history.

As the storm hit, ITC crews quickly realized that conditions were worse than expected. In multiple instances, teams repaired one section of a line—only to see another section fall to ice-laden trees moments later. Over the next five days, ITC coordinated closely with distribution utilities and Michigan’s State Emergency Operations Center. Crews worked 24/7 under hazardous conditions and challenging terrains to safely and quickly restore transmission service to the affected areas.

Their efforts were massive in scope: 16 damaged wood poles and 3 broken crossarms were replaced, conductors were repaired at 20 sites, and debris was cleared from 28 locations—spanning 272 miles of transmission lines.

“The spring 2025 ice storm that swept through Michigan wasn’t just a weather event—it was a stress test on critical infrastructure. What unfolded over a few harrowing days resulted in more than a year’s worth of outages on ITC Michigan’s 138 kV transmission system,” said Brian Slocum, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, ITC Holdings Corp. “But this storm won’t be remembered solely by outage stats. It exposed the brutal consequences of extreme weather—and underscored the importance of long-term grid investment. For more than two decades, ITC has fortified Michigan’s electric infrastructure, and that investment paid off when rebuilt portions of ITC’s 138 kV lines in northern Michigan held strong during the storm. It reaffirmed the urgent need to modernize, harden and invest in a grid that can weather whatever comes next.”

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EEI is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies. Our members provide safe, reliable electricity for nearly 250 million Americans, and operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As a whole, the electric power industry supports more than 7 million jobs in communities across the United States. In addition to our U.S. members, EEI has more than 50 international electric companies, with operations in more than 60 countries, as International Members, and hundreds of industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate Members.

ITC Holdings Corp., the nation’s largest independent electricity transmission company based in Novi, Michigan, owns and operates two subsidiaries in the state: ITCTransmission and METC (collectively, ITC Michigan). The two systems comprise approximately 9,100 circuit miles of transmission line serving most of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. For further information visit www.itc-holdings.com. ITC is a subsidiary of Fortis Inc., a leader in the North American regulated electric and gas utility industry. For further information visit www.fortisinc.com.