Hundreds of miles of new transmission lines planned in Michigan

The company that owns lower Michigan’s electrical transmission system is planning a multi-hundred-mile expansion of poles and wires in the coming years
Officials with ITC Michigan say the new lines will bring cheaper power and more reliability, connecting Michigan more closely to the regional grid
But neighbors fear lost views, property value hits and new development enabled by the power lines

The company that owns much of Michigan’s electrical transmission system is planning to build more than 350 miles of new poles and wires in the next few years as it gears up for renewable power, extreme weather and energy-intensive developments.

Officials with ITC Michigan, which owns and maintains 9,100 miles of transmission lines that shuttle electricity into, out of and around the Lower Peninsula, say the expansion is needed to cut back on power outages, save ratepayers money and make way for economic growth.

But the effort, which currently focuses on a 50-mile, 345-kilovolt segment near Lansing and will later expand to west, east and southern Michigan, is drawing pushback from neighbors who fear despoiled views, diminished property values and subsequent development pressure from energy-hungry businesses like data centers.

Company officials last month unveiled route options for the planned mid-Michigan segment, which runs from Oneida Township, south of Grand Ledge, to Cohoctah Township, north of Fowlerville.

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After selecting a preferred route, the company will seek approval from the Michigan Public Service Commission before negotiating with landowners and clearing a 200-foot-wide by 50-mile-long expanse to make way for 125-plus-foot-tall metal poles and wires.

After receiving criticism from state energy regulators who accused the company of weak public engagement and “lazy” routing during its most recent transmission line project, officials say they’re ramping up outreach this time around.

“These aren’t easy conversations to have,” said Charles Marshall, president of ITC Michigan and vice president of its parent company, ITC Holdings Corp. “I recognize that it’s personal property, it’s real estate, and we need a right-of-way.”

During the first of seven planned open houses in the coming weeks, dozens gathered Monday at an Okemos event center to ask questions about the project or plead their case for keeping the lines away from their homes.

Opponents cite fears of lost views and despoiled forests, health impacts (though studies have produced inconsistent findings) and depressed property values from living close to the high-voltage lines, among other consequences.

“Instead of listening to the birds, we’re going to be listening to the buzzing of a high-voltage power line,” predicted Marilyn Johnson, whose Williamstown Township home sits along one of the proposed routes.

Others say they fear that, once the route is built, big development projects will follow. Tech companies have been seeking out farmland with easy access to electricity as they race to build energy-hungry data centers across the country.

ITC officials note that they began planning this transmission expansion years ago, before Michigan began to attract data center interest.

“We need the infrastructure to keep the lights on,” Marshall said. “That’s at the core of what this is.”

The planned build-out stems from a larger planning process overseen by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, which manages the regional grid across 15 Midwestern states and Manitoba, Canada. The nonprofit is tasked with making sure electricity flows seamlessly throughout the region.

In 2024, it approved $21.8 billion in long-range transmission projects throughout the Midwest, known as Tranche 2.1, that are expected to come online between 2032 and 2034. More tranches are planned in the coming years in what will amount to the largest transmission build-out in the group’s history.

In addition to the route near Lansing, ITC’s planned transmission projects in Michigan include:

A 159-mile line connecting a substation near Ludington to another in Midland County.
A 40-mile line between the Midland County substation to another in Saginaw County.
A 55-mile line from the Midland County station to another in Shiawassee County.
A 68-mile segment from Monroe County to the Indiana-Michigan border.

Transmission lines can help curtail electricity costs by creating delivery routes for cheap power from out of state, such as wind and solar from sunnier, breezier climates to replace the expensive coal that provides about a fifth of Michigan’s power today.

“If you look at just the geography, there’s better wind in Iowa,” said Marshall. “What that means is you need fewer wind turbines, but what you also need is the transmission infrastructure to deliver that energy.”

The Midwest grid operator has said Tranche 2.1 projects will provide benefits exceeding costs by two or three times.

But Marshall acknowledged that few people want a big power line running through their backyard — particularly at a time when many rural communities are also contending with development pressure from data centers and renewable energy.

“It would be naive of me to suggest that there is not some sort of infrastructure fatigue in the state of Michigan,” Marshall said. “Unfortunately, we’re coming a little bit on the heels of that.”

On Monday, people living near the prospective routes huddled around a bank of computers with ITC staff, studying digital maps of the proposed routes and typing feedback into a portal.

A man and a woman work at a computer — Steve Lott, who supervises a township in the pathway of ITC’s proposed transmission lines, reviews a digital map of the possible routes to point out residential neighborhoods and other areas he would like the project to avoid. (Kelly House/Bridge Michigan)

Steve Lott, supervisor of Alaiedon Township, a farming community southwest of Lansing that sits along the transmission line’s likely route, pointed out bald eagle nests, residential neighborhoods and other areas he hopes ITC will avoid.

“I would prefer it not to be through the township,” said Lott. “But I do know that there’s a need for it, so it really needs to go through the least impactful route for my residents.”

After community listening sessions, summer open houses for affected landowners and public meetings this fall, ITC aims to file a construction plan with state regulators late this year, including its preferred route and at least one alternative.

Matt Helms, a spokesperson for the Michigan Public Service Commission, declined to comment on the forthcoming request.

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