The application has been filed to secure the Presidential Permit required for international border-crossing projects.
The ITC Lake Erie Connector line will interconnect with converter stations situated in Erie, Pennsylvania and Nanticoke, Ontario.
A 345kV AC underground transmission line will connect the Erie converter station to the existing Penelec ErieWest substation.
The second 500 kV AC line will interconnect the Nanticoke converter station to Hydro One Networks’ Nanticoke transformer station.
Upon completion, the ITC Lake Erie Connector line will offer the first direct link between the markets of the Ontario Independent Electricity System Operator and PJM Interconnection.
ITC Holdings vice president of international and merchant development Terry Harvill said: "The Lake Erie Connector offers compelling market opportunities by providing a more direct, efficient and controllable path for energy and capacity to flow between the two systems, and it can facilitate the export of clean energy from Ontario to PJM to address potential environmental regulations and Renewable Portfolio Standard requirements in the US"
ITC expects to secure all state, federal, and provincial permits for the project by the second quarter of 2017. The transmission line is planned to start commercial operation in 2019.
The company will start an open solicitation for the project’s transmission capacity in late June.
Image: The ITC Lake Erie Connector transmission line will provide the first direct link between the markets of the Ontario Independent Electricity System Operator and PJM Interconnection. Photo: courtesy of Gualberto107/FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
