Detroit Edison

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Detroit Edison, founded in 1903, is an investor-owned electric utility which serves most of Southeast Michigan. Its parent company, DTE Energy, provides energy services to a variety of clients beyond Detroit Edison's service area.

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[edit] Power generation

The utility operates nine fossil-fuel generating plants, as well as the Enrico Fermi 2 Nuclear Generating Station. The company is also co-owner, with Consumers Energy, of the Ludington Pumped Storage Power Plant, a hydroelectric pumped storage facility in Ludington, Michigan. Detroit Edison uses fossil fuels (mainly coal) to generate 80-85 percent of its total electrical output, with the bulk of the remainder coming from nuclear power ([1]). At 3,300 megawatts, Detroit Edisons's Monroe Power Plant has the third largest generating capacity of any coal-fired power plant in North America. Only Southern Company's Bowen Power Plant located near Atlanta, Georgia and Ontario Power Generation's Nanticoke Generating Station in Canada have more generating capacity.

[edit] Energy transmission

Due to electric utility deregulation in Michigan, DTE Energy was forced to sell off Detroit Edison's sister subsidiary involved in high-voltage energy transmission: International Transmission Co. (ITC)

[edit] Energy distribution

Detroit Edison's near 11-gigawatt generating capacity is offered to its 7600-square-mile service area, which encompasses 13 counties in the southeastern portion of Michigan's lower peninsula. Energy is distributed throughout Huron, Tuscola, Sanilac, Saint Clair, Lapeer, Livingston, Ingham, Oakland, Macomb, Wayne, Washtenaw, Lenawee and Monroe counties by over a million utility poles and 44,000 miles of power lines.

Detroit Edison/ITC's Transmission line voltages are 345,000 volts, 230,000 volts and 120,000 volts. Edison's subtransmission voltages are 40,000 volts and 24,000 volts and the distribution voltages are 13,200 volts and 4,800 volts. All new distibution circuits constructed after 1959 are 13,200 volts.

[edit] Electric grid interconnections

Detroit Edison/ITC has three 345kV interconnections with First Energy Corporation in Ohio, via that company's Toledo Edison subsidiary (Bayshore-Monroe line, Majestic-Monroe-Allen Junction line, and the Majestic-Lemoyne line). Transmission between First Energy and Detroit Edison are made in part on lines owned by Detroit Edison that pass through a small portion of Consumers Energy's service area, since Detroit Edison's service area does not touch the Ohio border.

There are interconnections with Hydro One in Ontario, Canada -- two 345kV (St. Clair-Lambton #1 and St. Clair-Lambton #2) and two 230kV (Keith-Waterman line and the Bunce Creek-Scott line).

There are four 345kV interconnections with Consumers to the west of Detroit Edison's service area (Majestic-Tompkins line, Majestic-Battle Creek-Oneida line, Jewell-Thetford line, and the Pontiac-Hampton line). There are also five 120/138kV interconnections with Consumers (the Custer-Whiting line, Genoa-Latson line, Hemphill-Hunters Creek line, Washtenaw-Lark-Blackstone line and the Atlanta-Thetford-Karn line). Since Consumers' transmission voltage is 138kV, Detroit Edison has 120/138kV transformers in the substations on their end of the lines so that they can tie into Consumers' system.

[edit] External links