Novi’s Crucial Role in the Powering of America’s Heartland

Inside an unassuming building in Novi, a group of skilled engineers quietly keep the lights on for a significant part of America’s heartland. This facility is home to ITC Holdings, a powerhouse that operates high-voltage electrical transmission infrastructure across the lower parts of seven states, including Michigan, and parts of Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma.

The building is so relevant because it serves as the nerve center for the transmission of energy across this region. The operating room — a top-secret, carefully secured control area — is highly restricted, making it nearly impossible for unapproved individuals to gain entrance.

The operators working in this collected yet intense environment have access to an 11.5-foot tall screen. The screen features a map showing hundreds of miles of electric superhighways across the electrical infrastructure’s coverage area. With this invaluable resource at their disposal, they can efficiently manage the flow of electricity, preventing blackouts, and maintaining the steady supply of power to homes, businesses, and facilities across the region.

ITC Holdings is integral to the electric power-flow process. This consists of the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. The role of ITC is squarely within the transmission phase, taking power generated from sources including nuclear, wind, solar, water, natural gas, or coal, and transmitting it along high-voltage power lines to substations. It is then passed on to low-voltage lines for further distribution.

As a testament to its importance, ITC Holdings recorded a full-year net income of $463 million in 2023, a definitive increase from the previous year’s figure. Its revenue from transmission and other services reached a whopping $1.6 billion during the same period.

Strict protection measures are in place due to the highly strategic nature of ITC’s operations. The company dedicates a section of its business to cybersecurity and routinely simulates ransomware attacks to stay ahead of potential threats.

While ITC’s operations focus on the present, there is also a firm commitment to the future. The company is deeply vested in investigating new and efficient ways to interconnect power generation to the rest of the electrical grid. The team specifically focuses on the impending integration of solar fields within the state.

This work is critical to Michigan’s plans for a clean energy future, with an ambitious set goal of 100% clean energy by 2040. ITC will play a pivotal role in retiring existing facilities and bringing on new ones as the state transitions into a renewable energy era.

So the next time you flick a switch, remember the network of professionals dedicating themselves tirelessly to keep the light on.