$66 million in improvements to the electrical system in Berrien and Cass counties, as well as in St. Joseph County, Indiana, are planned for next year by Indiana Michigan Power. Spokesperson Schnee Doyle tells WSJM News the company is looking to improve reliability with the Niles Area Transmission Improvements Project.
“The goal is to improve reliability, which means cut down outage duration periods, the likelihood of an outage in the first place, and it will also allow us faster response times when it comes to restoring outages,” Doyle said.
Doyle says they’re expanding three substations, building two new substations, and building around 3.5 miles of high voltage transmission line. The work will be done in three phases starting next fall and continuing into 2024. Doyle says residents may notice a lot of I&M crews in the area. She notes customer feedback on the proposed locations of new transmission lines helped I&M plan the project.
