Transmission developer ITC proposes to build a 1000MW submarine merchant line that will link Canadian province Ontario and Pennsylvania in the United States.
The ITC Lake Erie Connector will run 73 miles under Lake Erie. The 320kV HVDC transmission line will provide the first direct link between the markets of the Ontario Independent Electricity System Operator and PJM Interconnection.
“The Lake Erie Connector will support the security, reliability and capacity of the PJM and Ontario energy grids through this more direct, efficient and controllable path for energy flow between the systems,” said ITC VP international and merchant development Terry Harvill.
The PJM system handles mostly coal- and gas-generated electricity while IESO relies more on nuclear, hydro and wind power.
ITC received expressions of interest in a non-binding open solicitation process “and we are now in bilateral negotiations for line capacity with prospective counterparties”, said Harvill.
ITC in early February filed a joint permit application with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the US Army Corps of Engineers.
ITC has filed major permit applications with Canada’s National Energy Board and with the US Energy Department. A presidential permit is necessary for international border-crossing projects.
The company has completed system impact studies in IESO and PJM, has signed service agreements with the manufacturers of the converter stations and the submarine cable, and secured nearly all land necessary for the terrestrial cable route, converter stations and laydown areas.
If ITC is able to execute favorable transmission service agreements over the next several months, the company would then anticipate receiving federal, state and provincial permits by the second quarter of 2017.
ITC aims to start construction around that time, with commercial operation expected in 2019.
Image: Submarine transmission cable (NSW)
