NOVI – Jeremy Coon, principal project manager for ITC, has joined the Sept. 18 episode of MITech TV to discuss how ITC, the nation’s largest independent electricity transmission company, is supporting the latest efforts in Michigan related to the Midcontinent Independent System Operator’s (MISO) Long Range Transmission Planning (LRTP) projects.
MISO, our regional grid planning organization, has devoted several years of intensive, collaborative effort to develop the LRTP projects. As we trend toward the electrification of everything from appliances to vehicles, we need to update the electrical grid to meet our society’s new demands.
When the grid was first formed, electricity was generated in local areas. However, newer generation is widely distributed across regions. Transmission lines transport electricity over long distances, from where it is generated to where it is distributed to the houses and businesses in communities. MISO’s plan identified the need to build high-voltage transmission infrastructure across the region to support long-term reliability and stability of the electric grid.
The first phase of MISO’s plan was approved last year and includes 18 transmission projects. We are planning and building two in Michigan, which together include about 90 miles of new lines from the Michigan-Indiana border to mid-Michigan. Our goal is to have the projects in service by 2030.
The total investment for the Michigan projects is estimated at $850 million. Analyses conducted as part of the LRTP initiative indicate the financial impact in the ITC Michigan footprint will exceed $6 billion in economic benefits while creating about 4,100 jobs over the span of the projects.
As demand for electrification increases and extreme weather becomes more frequent and damaging, our grid needs to be modernized to support everything we are asking of it. The new lines will enhance Michigan’s access to regional generation as far west as Iowa and beyond. These lines will be the first new interstate connection to Michigan’s transmission system in nearly 50 years.
Anyone interested in the projects can find more information at mifuturegrid.com.
