ITC Holdings selected MJ Electric of Iron Mountain Michigan to construct Phase One of the “Thumb Loop.” MJ Electric constructed approximately 62 miles of the Thumb Loop Transmission Line, starting from the site of the new Bauer substation in Tuscola Township, southwestern Tuscola County, to the new Rapson substation in Huron County, east of Bad Axe in Sigel Township.
“Conceiving and completing the Thumb Loop project demonstrates the value of forward-thinking, collaborative planning between the state and key stakeholders,” said Joseph L. Welch, chairman, president and CEO of ITC Holdings Corp. “It’s a prime example of the effectiveness of ITC’s planning process, which identified the transmission needed to facilitate Michigan’s renewable energy goals while also strengthening the regional transmission grid. This project increases transmission system capacity and reliability while providing more efficient renewable energy transmission. It also created jobs and will have a meaningful near and long-term impact on the region’s economy and the entire state.”
Thumb Loop Transmission Line Can Support 1000s of Wind Turbines
The project will be the base of a transmission system designed to meet the Thumb region’s identified maximum wind energy potential. The Thumb Loop consists of four substations and 140 miles of transmission lines through Michigan’s Tuscola, Huron, Sanilac, and St. Clair counties—the Thumb Loop results from Michigan’s Clean, Renewable, and Efficient Energy Act of 2008. The act requires 10 percent of the state’s energy to come from renewable fuels by 2015. The loop is considered the “energy superhighway” for wind farm development in the Thumb.
The Thumb Loop can support more than 2,800 wind turbines and 5,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacity. The project will start this spring and conclude in 2013. The cost has been estimated at about $510 million. The Huron Daily Tribune noted that up to 50 workers will be active during the project’s peak. Local businesses may also be required to provide concrete suppliers and excavation.
Local Concerns of The Power Line Crossing the Thumb
Landowners with properties that may be crossed by the Thumb Loop have expressed concern about how the lines will impact farms throughout the region. One particular issue is how the construction of the line would affect central pivot farming, which has increased in use over the past 25 years within Michigan’s agriculturally rich thumb area. ITC has worked with landowners to negotiate easement agreements and establish access points for equipment and materials along the 200-foot-wide transmission corridor.
The Thumb Loop Project Completed In 2015
ITC Michigan, via its ITCTransmission subsidiary, completed the high-voltage Thumb Loop transmission line project in May 2015 after investing $510 million. The project is designed to meet the maximum wind energy potential of Michigan’s Thumb region and consists of a 345,000-volt line, four new substations, and approximately 140 miles of double-circuit lines. The system contributes to regional system reliability, facilitates wholesale market competition, and can support a maximum capacity of about 5,000 MW. The project was completed in three stages between 2013 and 2015.
The Thumb Loop transmission line project is comprised of 789 steel monopoles, 32 steel lattice towers, and wires stretching over 1,680 miles.
Related Reading
- Michigan Wind Farm Map – The Michigan Wind Farm Map offers current, proposed, deferred, or canceled projects in Michigan. Information is taken from public and government reports from the Michigan Public Services Commission. This site is updated as information becomes available.
- Apple Blossom Wind Farm – Apple Blossom Wind Farm was constructed by Sempra Renewables. This is a 100-megawatt (MW) wind farm project located in Huron County, Michigan. The wind farm’s footprint spans McKinley and Winsor Townships.
- Michigan Thumb Reject Wind Projects – May 2017 – Voters in Michigan’s Upper Thumb rejected proposals that would have allowed two wind farm projects to proceed in Huron county.
- DTE to Close Harbor Beach Power Plant – Cite Thumb Loop and Pollution Rules – DTE officials announced that it plans to suspend operations of the Michigan Coal Powered Plant at Harbor Beach as soon as August 2013.
It’s caused besauce the sun heats the planet differently, and over vast areas. As a place warms up, the air expands, causing a pressure change. Wind is simple high pressure air moving towards a low pressure region to balance things out. The boundaries are not normally so definite that you could notice the effect you described.Simply, it is caused by sun besauce if no sun will there Then the no area will become hot, no air will rise, and no one will come to take the rising air’s placeHope it helps!!