Transmission is the right tool to improve reliability and resilience, support clean energy goals and enable economic growth.
The National Academy of Engineering considers electrification among the greatest engineering achievements of the 20th century, and I have to agree – thanks to our electric grid, we effortlessly flip a light switch, and power goes on in a split-second. This speed is faster than any delivery service could ever hope to achieve.
More than ever before, we’re transitioning to an electrified society – my friends, family and I are plugging in everything from smartphones and air fryers to stoves and vehicles. Businesses from data centers to farms to assembly lines are also counting on more power to feed their operations. Today’s needs are placing new demands on a grid that wasn’t designed for them, all while current sources of power generation are changing. We’re used to upgrades in our society – our phones, our cars, our houses. Just like in our personal lives, we achieve more as a society and, in turn, expect more. We need updated transmission infrastructure to keep up with our needs and expectations.
ITC, based in Novi, Michigan, is the nation’s largest independent electric transmission company. Transmission lines transport electricity over long distances from where it is generated – no matter the generation source – to where it is needed. We transmit power to distribution centers that feed electricity into homes and businesses. As power generation sources diversify and increasingly include renewable energy, transmission is becoming even more critical. While fossil fuel power plants were built near population centers, renewable energy is generated where the sun shines and the wind blows – and not necessarily near population centers. Transmission allows us to bring that energy across state and international lines to a variety of communities.
At ITC, we recognize that transmission is essential to our future goals and are focused solely on building, maintaining and updating our region’s transmission system. We own and operate transmission infrastructure in seven midwestern states; in Michigan alone, we have more than 8,700 circuit miles of high-voltage electric lines and 367 transmission substations throughout the lower peninsula.
Electric transmission is essential to our country’s economy, security and way of life. The best way to reach our electric goals is through proactive planning and construction to create a complete and updated grid for ourselves and future generations. Just as we make upgrades in our personal lives, we must support new and improved electric infrastructure to meet our clean energy goals and enhance our way of life for future generations. At ITC, we are fully committed to making this future a reality.
