Indiana Michigan Power is planning a $66 million improvement to its electrical network in southwest Michigan and northern Indiana.
The company plans to upgrade or expand three substations in Berrien and Cass County, Michigan and St. Joseph County, Indiana. It also plans to build two new substations and approximately 3.5 miles of transmission lines to connect those stations to the network.
Construction project is scheduled to begin in fall 2023 and finish in spring 2024 in three phases:
- The Niles North component, located in Cass County, involves expanding the existing 69-kilovolt (kV) Kenzie Creek Substation, rebuilding the 138-kV Pokagon Substation and building approximately 1.5 miles of new 69-kV transmission line.
- The Niles Central component, located in Berrien and Cass counties, involves building the new 69-kV FourFlag Substation, upgrading the 69-kV Lake Street Substation, retiring 2.5 miles of 34.5-kV transmission line and building a half-mile extension of 69-kV transmission line to connect the new substation to the electrical network.
- The Niles South component, located in St. Joseph County, Indiana, involves building the new 138-kV Boundary Substation, building 1 mile of 138-kV transmission line and building a half-mile 69-kV transmission line.
I&M will hold two open houses to gather feedback on the project:
- Wednesday, March 30: 5-7 p.m. at Grand LV (Fifty5 room) 104 N. 3rd St., Niles, MI
- Thursday, March 31: 5-7 p.m. at Navarre at The Brick (Main Banquet Room) 1145 Northside Blvd., South Bend, IN
Residents are encouraged to submit feedback by Monday, April 18.
Contact Gemma at gdicarlo@wvpe.org or follow her on Twitter at @gemma_dicarlo.
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