Michigan transmission link may be too costly

摘要

The financial benefits of expanding transmission from Michigan's Upper Peninsula are not enough to justify the cost of doing so, according to preliminary results of a study by the regional grid operator. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder in 2016 asked the Midcontinent ISO to look at options for expanding transmission between the Upper Peninsula and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and between the Upper Peninsula and Lower Michigan. The grid operator agreed , and according to preliminary results of the study, none of the electric transmission line tie-ins between Michigan and Canada that were looked at had financial benefits that exceeded the cost of construction. Building a 100-MW gas-fired power plant in the Upper Peninsula would likely be a better option, the study said.