Governor suggests study on how to connect Michigan

LANSING– Despite being on tour in the central U.P., Governor Snyder was still hard at work today considering the state’s energy future.

Snyder asked the Midcontinent Independent System Operator — or MISO — to conduct a study on the potential benefits to ratepayers and reliability that might be found by connecting the eastern Upper Peninsula to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, while simultaneously strengthening the connection across the Straits of Mackinac.

The Governor said, “But the MISO request was can they do an analysis to help us we might be able to connect better to the Lower Peninsula, connect the two Peninsulas, but new that people hadn’t though of, which is how we might be able to connect to Ontario”

State energy officials cite the current transformation of Michigan’s energy infrastructure and changes in Ontario’s generation as reasons to explore these opportunities.