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Alger Delta Nears Project Milestones

Big Bay/ CR 550 Project Update Residents living along County Road 550 and North to Big Bay and the Huron Mountain Club will soon enjoy a brand new electrical system in their area. Benefits will be seen in fewer outages and less costly maintenance resulting in member savings and greatly improved service, according to Alger Delta Manager Tom Harrell. The new line will be complete and energized this summer barring weather-related complications.

The line upgrade begins immediately north of Marquette and ends just South of Big Bay. Completion of the power line along CR 550 ends two of the five-part Big Bay / CR 550 Project which began in May of 2008. Part two is 95 percent complete and includes a new sub-station that can handle four times the power of the previous one, says Harrell. Part three, new pole and line installation, is about 60 percent complete.

The project coincides with Kennecott Eagle Mineral’s request for electrical service to a proposed nickel mine to be operated in Marquette County. Upgrades to the Big Bay system were necessary in order to carry the increased load needed to provide future power to the mine site, said Harrell.

Phases four and five of the project, which include vegetation management and a new power line installation along County Road 510 and the Triple A Road, are still in the engineering state. Work on this 13-mile stretch will provide electric service to the mine site. Kennecott Minerals has stated that the mine is currently in deferment due to market conditions and contested case hearings regarding permitting issues.

So far, the project continues to have a positive cash flow, said Harrell, meaning there has been no cost to the company or its members for the upgrades. In accordance with the utility’s “contribution in aid of construction” policy, material and labor costs associated with a request for power installation are funded by the customer on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Residents in the first two and a half miles along CR 550 will also see a more streamlined system as Alger Delta, the Marquette Board of Light and Power (MBLP) and other utilities have agreed to combined utility lines on the new poles to be installed along CR 550.