NOVI – Events of 2014 have trigged more changes in Michigan?s energy landscape than we?ve seen in a number of years. More renewable energy is coming online, and plans are being made to shut down number of coal-based generation units around the state as new federal clean air standards phase in.
Each of these changes has an impact on the state?s high voltage grid. As the predominant owner and operator of the grid in the Lower Peninsula, ITC?s job is to stay ahead of the curve to make sure the transmission system is nimble enough to respond to those changes and keep electrons moving reliably and efficiently from generators to your local retail distributor, and ultimately to your home and workplace.
In 2015 Michigan expects to be taking a fresh look at its energy policy as the goals set by the 2008 ?Clean, Renewable and Efficient Energy Act? (Public Act 295) come to fruition. We don?t know what future direction Michigan will be taking in terms of energy policy in general and renewable energy in particular, but we do know that a key pillar of Governor Snyder?s ?No Regrets? energy vision is electric reliability.
ITC?s $2.7 billion in investments to upgrade Michigan?s high-voltage grid have put our systems in a position to support that energy policy vision. Our grid ranks in the top quartile and outperforms utilities in our region and nationally in transmission reliability. You can be sure that no matter where our state?s energy policy goes, the high-voltage grid will be nimble and robust enough to respond without missing a beat 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
One of ITC?s primary missions and responsibilities is to connect all forms of generation to the grid. This past year ITC connected 318 megawatts (MW) of new renewable energy to the Michigan grid?enough to power more than 86,000 homes?to help meet the goals set by PA 295. The bulk of this new generation is in the Thumb region, taking advantage of ITC?s 140-mile Thumb Loop transmission line project to bring that renewable energy, now totaling almost 900 MW, to the market. Two of the three segments of the 345,000 volt Thumb Loop project are complete. By the end of 2015 when the third and final segment of the Thumb Loop is energized, another 328 MW of wind energy is expected to come online, bringing the total renewable energy in the area to 1,228 MW. That?s enough energy for about 325,000 homes.
Interconnections for new generation sources typically include building new substations and lines, or upgrading existing facilities. The benefits of these system upgrades go beyond simply plugging new generation into the grid; they make the grid more robust and more efficient and therefore more able to meet the present and future needs of the customers and communities it serves. This can result in increased capacity and improved access to power ? two factors important to future economic development.
ITC?s focus on a reliable and efficient transmission grid helps ensure that Michigan can meet its current and future energy needs, creating the foundation for a vibrant, robust economy and a more competitive state.
