Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin
Zone 2
Transmission system characteristics of Zone 2
ATC delivers power in Zone 2 with various transmission facilities including:
-
Morgan-Plains and Plains-Dead River 345-kV lines,
-
Plains-Stiles 138-kV double-circuit line
-
Lakota Road-Plains 138-kV line, and
-
138-kV facilities tying the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to the Lower Michigan.
Transmission system limitations in Zone 2
There are a number of transmission system performance issues in Zone 2 including limited ability to import or export power, generator instability, overloaded lines and equipment, low system voltages and chronic limitations to transmission service. Primary drivers of these issues include a mismatch of load to generation in the Upper Peninsula and aging facilities in poor or obsolete condition. In addition, other studies occurring in parallel with this Assessment, including Northern Area Studies performed by ATC and MISO, have identified several voltage and thermal limitations. The most severe limitations occur during off peak periods.
While not specifically identified in the project list for this assessment, ATC’s capital forecast does include dollars in anticipation of reinforcements needed to address pending generation retirements, such as the White Pines and Presque Isle plants. Potentially, the scope of the project to address the White Pine retirement might include conversion of the 69-kV facilities between the Conover Substation in northern Wisconsin and the Winona Substation in Michigan to 138-kV operation. The potential scope of additional solutions to address the Presque Isle retirement could include a Plains-National project as well as other upgrades in Zones 1 and 4.
Electric system overview
Small increases expected in population, employment – Population in Zone 2 is projected to grow about 0.4 percent annually between now and 2023, and employment is expected to grow about 0.8 percent each year in the same time period. Marquette County, Mich., is projected to realize the largest increase in employment, while Florence County, Wis., is projected to have the highest growth rate.
Electricity usage growing
Zone 2 typically experiences peak electric demand during the winter months. Ore mining and paper mills are the largest electricity users in the zone.
Electric load is forecasted to increase by 0.5 percent annually through 2024. Also, locally generated electricity is declining in the area with smaller, coal-fired generators most at risk. This includes generation owned by industry, municipalities and utilities.
Transmission projects in Zone 2
The most notable planned, proposed and provisional network projects and asset renewal projects in Zone 2, along with their projected year of completion and the factors driving the need for the projects, are listed on the next page.
Zone 2 includes the counties of:
- Alger , MI
- Baraga , MI
- Chippewa , MI
- Delta , MI
- Dickinson , MI
- Florence , WI
- Forest (N) , WI
- Gogebic (E) , MI
- Houghton , MI
- Iron , MI
- Keweenaw , MI
- Luce , MI
- Mackinac , MI
- Marinette (N) , WI
- Marquette , MI
- Menonminee (N) , MI
- Ontonagon (E) , MI
- Schoolcraft , MI
- Vilas (N) , WI
Zone 2 Planned Projects
| Project Description | In-service year | Need driver |
|---|---|---|
| Mackinac 138-kV Substation: Install back-to-back HVDC flow control device | 2014 | Address/control flow across eastern U.P., overloads, low voltages |
| Arnold 345-kV Substation construction and 345/138-kV transformer | 2015 | Overloads and low voltages |
| Bay Lake: Holmes-Old Mead Road 138-kV project | 2016 | Overloads and low voltages |
| Bay Lake: Benson Lake 138-kV Substation - Installation of SVC | 2019 | Overloads and low voltages |
Zone 2 Proposed Projects
| Project Description | In-service year | Need driver |
|---|---|---|
| None |
Zone 2 Provisional Projects
| Project Description | In-service year | Need driver |
|---|---|---|
| Victoria-Winona 69-kV line construction | 2019 | Overloads, low voltages |
Zone 2 Asset Renewal Projects
| Project Description | In-service year | Need driver |
|---|---|---|
| Pine River u2013 Hiawatha 69-kV line partial rebuild | 2015 | Overloads and low voltage |
| Munising-Gwinn 69-kV line partial rebuild | 2017 | Condition and performance |