New electric line coming the U.P.

Electrical reliability between Delta County and the Wisconsin border will be reinforced in the coming years.

The American Transmission Company has received approval to install a 58-mile, 138-kilovolt line in the southern Upper Peninsula.

Now that the Michigan Public Service Commission has given the project its blessing, ATC can begin designing an engineering plan.

The original plan called for two new lines between the Holmes Substation in Menominee County and the Old Mead Road Substation in Escanaba.

After researching the project, officials determined that a single line would suffice, minimizing the new right-of-way required and maximizing the use of existing corridors.

Construction is scheduled to begin next January with an estimated cost of $105 to $132 million.  The line is estimated to be operational by the summer of 2016.

More information about the project can be found here.