Building a 21st Century Power Grid

Our region needs a “superhighway”  to keep the lights on and connect new energy resources.

The energy industry is undergoing the most significant and rapid change in its history. Traditional electric generation is shutting down and new clean energy resources are being built. Our electric highways were planned and built to deliver energy from predictable and controllable sources. As the nation transitions towards clean energy, these highways need to be upgraded and new superhighways are needed to keep the lights on and energy flowing.

Project Fast Facts

  • Ability to deliver energy to power nearly 2 million homes
  • 60-80 mile High Voltage Direct Current (HDVC) electric transmission line
  • 10-15 year construction timeline
  • Capability to deliver energy when and where it is needed
  • Safely constructed underwater
Shedding Light on Infrastructure Issues

Today’s highways are not enough to meet tomorrow’s challenges. The Lake Michigan Connector is a super highway that is needed to deliver reliable and sustainable energy throughout the Midwest.

Plant Closures

Coal and nuclear plants are closing down faster than they are being replaced. As the nation transitions to a greener tomorrow, we must ensure that energy is available and can be delivered to keep the lights on at all times.

Increased Demand

We will continue to use more electric energy, not less. Society continues to innovate and create devices that are powered by electric energy. From cars to lawn mowers and everything in between, demand for electric energy will continue to grow.

Extreme Weather

The growing frequency of extreme weather events is increasing the risk of blackouts. People must have energy when they need it, especially on the coldest and hottest days of the year.

Diversity is Key

It’s common knowledge that putting all your eggs in one basket is risky. The Lake Michigan Connector provides location and energy resource diversity, which will improve the electric reliability of the grid and support the shift towards a cleaner and more sustainable energy future.

LOCATION DIVERSITY

Improves Electric Reliability

Just like cars utilize various paths to get to their destination, having multiple and differing locations to flow electricity makes the grid more reliable. Establishing a new connection point across Lake Michigan provides a new “superhighway” for energy to flow through the Midwest, improving electric reliability.

ENERGY RESOURCE DIVERSITY

Accelerates Decarbonization

Electrically connecting Michigan to Wisconsin and the broader grid is important for the integration of clean energy resources (e.g., renewable energy) into the grid. Renewable energy, such as solar and wind, is intermittent and dependent on weather conditions. Through additional connections to other states, regions may access more resources and share excess energy with other states where the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing. This allows for a more reliable and efficient use of renewable energy.

Frequently Asked Questions

A cable would be safely constructed underwater avoiding weather, view and land use impacts typically associated with new power lines. This type of construction is not new or novel. It’s been used for many years to connect islands and other remote locations worldwide. In fact, Michigan serves several of its islands this way, including Beaver Island to Charlevoix.

Using existing and future plans for the MISO electric grid, two locations make the most sense:

1) Michigan’s 345kV and 138kV network in the Ludington area connected to Wisconsin’s 345kV network in the Green Bay area, and/or

2) Michigan’s 345kV and 138kV network in the Port Sheldon (south of Grand Haven) area connected to Wisconsin’s 345kV network in the Milwaukee area.

Both options are comparable and have their own distinct advantages. Option 1 ties a nuclear plant and the Ludington Pumped Storage directly together creating efficiencies of managing the economics of a pumped storage facility, while Option 2 ties two areas with more robust 345kV networks and can be used to support the retirement of the Campbell Generating Plant.

The project will proceed through the MISO analysis process of the Long Range Transmission Planning effort. Once accepted by MISO Staff, MISO Stakeholders, and eventually the MISO Board of Directors, the project will transition to development and be assigned to a developer or developers.

The Michigan Connector is in the concept phase and being analyzed as part of MISO’s Long Range Transmission Planning effort. MISO’s review and analysis is expected to be completed this year. From there, the project developer(s) will begin engineering design, proceed to procurement (equipment and land), and then construction. Projects of this scale generally take a decade or more to complete. It’s this long timeframe that requires work now to support the dramatic energy transition.

Project supporters from across the midwest

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This is where a really powerful quote that is a sentence or two is going to go.
First Last, Organization