ITC Lake Erie Connector LLC commends the Ontario Government on its 2017 Long-Term Energy Plan and charting a path for a more reliable, efficient, and affordable energy future for the province, including a focus on reforming the energy market to support import and export of energy between jurisdictions. ITC Lake Erie Connector, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ITC Holdings Corp., the largest independent electricity transmission company in the U.S., is responsible for the Lake Erie Connector project.

The ITC Lake Erie Connector is a proposed 1,000 MW, bi-directional, high-voltage direct current (HVDC) underwater transmission line. It would provide the first direct link between the markets of the Ontario Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) and PJM Interconnection LLC (PJM).

“The plan laid out by Energy Minister Thibeault and his Government today underscores the importance of creating a reliable, sustainable, and affordable energy market, of which the Lake Erie Connector is a key component,” says Terry Harvill, Ph.D., president, ITC Grid Development.

The ITC project would enable transmission customers to more efficiently access energy, capacity, and renewable energy opportunities in both Canadian and U.S. markets.

“As the only contracted transmission project included in the 2017 Long-Term Energy Plan, this two-way line will provide the first direct power connection between Ontario and the the PJM energy market, which is comprised of 13 states in the Eastern U.S. The Lake Erie Connector will open the door to electricity trading between these markets, working to improve the security and reliability of both energy grids.”

Under the project’s funding model, generators and electricity traders who transmit electricity and related products over the line will pay, thereby not impacting the transmission rates paid by Ontario ratepayers.

“Building the infrastructure to support this large-scale electricity trade ensures stability and affordability of energy for Ontarians, ensuring the province can import clean energy when needed and export it when it’s able to,” adds Harvill. “We thank Minister Thibeault and his Government for recognizing the value, flexibility, carbon-reduction and many other benefits that the Lake Erie Connector project will provide.”

The ITC Lake Erie Connector project received its final major permit approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) on October 16, 2017 and the project is now fully permitted in both the United States and Canada. ITC previously received a Presidential Permit from the U.S. Department of Energy as well as major permits from Canada’s National Energy Board and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.