Michigan Construction Firm to Continue with Phase II of Michigan Thumb Loop Transmission Line

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--M.J. Electric (Iron Mountain, Michigan), a utility transmission specialist contractor, was awarded the contract to construct Phase I of ITC Holdings' (NYSE:ITC) (Novi, Michigan) 345-kilovolt (kV) Thumb Loop Transmission Line. The project is under construction with a completion date in mid-2013. M.J. Electric is also under contract to construct Phase II, which is scheduled to begin upon completion of Phase I. Phase II is to be finished by 2015.

The first phase of the Thumb Loop Line is 62 miles of overhead, double-circuit, 345-kV transmission line running from the new Bauer Substation (Tuscola Township, Michigan) to the new Rapson Substation (Huron County, Michigan), forming a loop through the "thumb region" of Michigan's Lower Peninsula.

The second phase is 16 miles of 345-kV line that will start from the existing Greenwood Substation in Saint Clair, Michigan, and travel to a new, 345-kV substation. This line is to be called the Greenwood-Fitz Transmission Line.

The Thumb Loop Project is part of Midwest Independent System Operator's (MISO) Multi-Value Project (MVP) portfolio and is subject to regional cost allocation. This project was created to provide additional transmission capacity that would be needed to support wind development in the region.

The 141-mile Thumb Loop Line is still in the process of obtaining final regulatory approval for its third phase, the Rapson-Greenwood Line, which will run 63 miles from the new Fitz Substation (St Clair, Michigan) to the existing Belle River and Blackfoot Line. If approved, construction is scheduled to start when Phase II is completed in 2015. A contractor has not yet been selected for this phase.

Michigan is one of the states in the Great Lakes region. Industrial Info is currently tracking 19 grassroot and rebuild transmission line projects in the region, with an estimated total investment value of $2.8 billion and approximately 950 miles of transmission line. Other transmission developers in the area include American Electric Power (NYSE:AEP) (Columbus, Ohio), Ameren Services (NYSE:AEE) (St. Louis, Missouri) and Xcel Energy (NYSE:XEL) (Monticello, Minnesota), just to name a few.

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