The electric system improvements to Ann Arbor region will enhance the reliability of electric service to the area and create additional capacity to support growth throughout the region. Construction continues on schedule and is anticipated to be completed by early 2019.
ITC Holdings Inc. and CIPCO share an integrated system area in Iowa to transmit electricity to residents in both rural and urban areas. Gary Slaby, vice president utility operations for CIPCO, details the partnership and its benefits.
WIRES recently applauded the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) decision to proceed on Grid Resiliency, asserting that a robust transmission grid offers resource diversity and operational flexibility that is critically important to prevent, mitigate and recover from service disruptions.
ITC’s safety performance routinely ranks in the top 25% – and often in the top 10% – for companies for recordable incidents and lost work day cases in the Edison Electric Institute’s annual safety survey of utilities.
ITC partnered with the Michigan Science Center to host a special Arbor Day program for students throughout Michigan. The program will highlight the museum’s new ECHO Distance Learning Program that uses video conferencing to connect classrooms to a museum educator in real time.
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As Michigan continues to transition to a cleaner portfolio of power generation resources, additional transmission capacity will be needed to promote the continued reliability of the bulk power system and support the interconnection of these new resources.
The J538 Generator Interconnection Project connects 150 MW of wind generation to ITC’s Michigan Electric Transmission Company, LLC (METC) system. To support the interconnection, ITC constructed a new substation, called Knowles, in Adams Twp. The substation connects to the existing Moore Road – Beecher 138,000 volt (138 kV) transmission line, which was upgraded between the Moore Road and Knowles substations with nine miles of steel monopoles and H-frame structures, and optical ground wire (OPGW). OPGW combines the shielding and communication functions, and provides for improved communication speed and reliability of the line. Construction was completed in Q4 2020.
The J538 project is an example of ITC’s ongoing commitment to the operational efficiency and reliability of Michigan’s high-voltage transmission grid. The company has invested more than $5 billion in capital project maintenance and transmission infrastructure improvements in Michigan since 2003. These investments are improving the reliability and safety of the transmission infrastructure while ensuring its ability to meet new energy demands.