ITC LAKE ERIE CONNECTOR PROJECT

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Benefits

NEW JOBS, NEW ECONOMIC ACTIVITY AND THE POWER TO BUILD A NEW FUTURE
- New opportunities to import and export clean power between the energy markets can help Ontario and U.S. states significantly reduce their emissions and achieve their carbon reduction goals.
- Enhanced optionality for both markets to manage their energy needs and policy goals and respond to shifting supply/demand conditions, outages, and system planning requirements.
- Flexibility for both energy markets, including during extensive nuclear plant refurbishments and plant retirements in Ontario.
- Access to a larger fleet of competitive generation sources.
- More efficient use of existing generation and transmission assets including the potential to increase renewable and non-emitting electricity.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
- The project would provide system reliability benefits to PJM and Ontario.
- When completed, the Lake Erie Connector would make tax payments which would benefit local communities and residents.
- This project would facilitate the efficient flow of power between Ontario and the Eastern United States, providing significant benefits to consumers, businesses and local communities in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way.
LOW ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
- High-voltage direct current (HVDC) cables have very little impact on their environmental surroundings.
- Most of the HVDC cable for the Lake Erie Connector would be buried under Lake Erie. The water jet installation process minimizes disturbance to the lake bed and helps minimize the width of the trench, which is barely larger than the cables themselves and which begins to be filled in by natural forces once the cables are in place.
- Transmission lines buried underwater are less susceptible to damage by inclement weather or natural disasters.
- If a cable is damaged, automatic protection systems stop the power flow within a fraction of a second.
GRID STABILITY AND DIVERSITY OF SUPPLY
- The Lake Erie Connector would create a new energy transmission corridor between the Ontario IESO and PJM, helping improve the security and reliability of the grid.
- The HVDC technology is safe, reliable and proven. The solid cables are well insulated, contain no gels or liquids, and are made from non-flammable materials. Because the cables are constant direct current (DC), no fluctuating electromagnetic fields are created. The HVDC converter stations that would be located on either end of the cable would utilize the latest technology which has proven robust, flexible and very stable.
- This HVDC project would be located in an area where there is no existing energy corridor.
- To date, there has been no way to move power directly from Ontario to PJM, although power can be scheduled to flow around Lake Erie to accomplish this transfer but in a much less efficient manner.
- The Lake Erie Connector will bypass bottlenecks in the current energy grid and provide a direct and controllable path for energy flow between two regional markets.
PRIVATELY FUNDED
- The ITC Lake Erie Connector would be funded by parties interested in purchasing capacity on the line.

QUESTIONS? CONTACT DIRECTOR, DOUG MOTLEY, ITC GRID DEVELOPMENT, DMOTLEY@ITCTRANSCO.COM (248) 946-3588