ITCTransmission To Celebrate Start of Construction Of The Thumb Loop

NOVI -- ITC Transmission Co., a subsidiary of ITC Holdings Corp., will celebrate the beginning of line construction on its Thumb Loop Transmission Line Project in Tuscola County in an invitation-only event Friday.

The Thumb Loop Project will consist of approximately 140 miles of double-circuit 345,000-volt (345-kilovolt) lines and four new substations that will serve as the "backbone" of the system. Additional lines and facilities will be needed in the future as wind generators go into service and connect to the backbone system to fulfill the requirements of the state's Renewable Portfolio Standard.

The system is designed to meet the identified minimum and maximum wind energy potential of the Thumb region (2,367 and 4,236 MW respectively) and is capable of supporting a maximum capacity of about 5,000 MW. The new system will be constructed in stages, with the first segment, the western side of the loop from Tuscola County to Huron County, planned to enter service in late 2013. The remainder is targeted for completion by 2015. Find more information on the Thumb Loop project at http://www.itc-holdings.com/itc-michigan/projects/itctransmission.html.

International Transmission Co., which does business as ITCTransmission, is a wholly owned subsidiary of ITC Holdings Corp., the nation's largest independent electricity transmission company. Based in Novi, Michigan, ITCTransmission owns, operates and maintains approximately 2,800 circuit miles of transmission lines in southeast Michigan, serving a population of 5.1 million. For more information, please visit http://www.itctransco.com.