Electric transmission line is being rebuilt

Indiana Michigan Power has announced it is rebuilding a 69-kilovolt transmission line that connects the Moorepark substation to the new Ripple substation in Three Rivers.

Company officials said the improvements are essential to ensure continued reliable power is available for customers. The existing transmission infrastructure has reached an age where it is in need of replacement to improve electric service reliability, according to the company’s communications consultant, Schnee Garrett.

Rebuilding approximately six-miles of transmission line and constructing a new substation decreases the likelihood of outages and speeds recovery of service when outages occur, Garrett said, further noting that aging wood poles will be replaced with steel monopoles.  The project cost totals approximately $13-million.

The Ripple substation is in the area of East Broadway and Third Streets, east of the St. Joseph River.