Power company to conduct helicopter inspections.

May 4, 2021

Power company to conduct helicopter inspections.
OCEANA COUNTY — ITC will conduct aerial patrols of high-voltage transmission towers and lines in Oceana County June 7-10.

The inspections in Michigan are slated from approximately May 17 through June 17, weather permitting.

“The helicopter patrols are conducted to provide an overall status of the overhead transmission system that is operated by ITC’s Michigan operating entities, ITC Transmission and Michigan Electric Transmission Company, LLC (METC),” states a press release from the company.

“Please note, the helicopters will be flying lower than usual near the transmission lines during these inspections, which is no cause for concern for area residents,” said Joe Ferlito, ITC account director and director of operations.

The aerial inspections will cover nearly all of the Lower Peninsula, including all or part of the following counties:

• May 17-19:  Ingham, Jackson, Lenawee, Livingston, Monroe, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne

• May 20-25:  Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Clinton, Eaton, Hillsdale, Ingham, Ionia, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Kent, Lenawee, St. Joseph, and Van Buren

• May 28 to June 4:  Clinton, Genesee, Gratiot, Huron, Ingham, Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Midland, Oakland, Saginaw, Sanilac, Shiawassee, St. Clair, and Tuscola

• June 7-10:  Clinton, Gratiot, Isabella, Ionia, Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana and Ottawa

• June 11-17:  Alcona, Alpena, Antrim, Arenac, Bay, Benzie, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Clare, Crawford, Emmet, Gladwin, Grand Traverse, Iosco, Kalkaska, Lake, Leelanau, Manistee, Mason, Midland, Missaukee, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Osceola, Oscoda, Otsego, Presque Isle, Roscommon and Wexford

“These patrols are a North American Electrical Reliability Corporation (NERC) requirement for ITC’s vegetation management program, support proactive maintenance objectives, and are in line with the company’s model for operational excellence. They include inspections of steel towers, wood poles, conductors (wires), insulators and other equipment. Crews check for damaged or worn equipment and vegetation hazards. The inspection flights are often conducted at low altitudes to allow accurate visual inspection of equipment for lightning damage, wear or other potential problems. This is normal procedure, so there is no cause for alarm if a low-flying helicopter is sighted near transmission lines.

“ITC Holdings Corp., the nation’s largest independent electricity transmission company based in Novi, Michigan, owns and operates two subsidiaries in the state: ITC Transmission and METC (collectively, ITC Michigan). The two systems comprise approximately 8,700 circuit miles of transmission line serving most of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. For further information visit www.itc-holdings.com. ITC is a subsidiary of Fortis Inc., a leader in the North American regulated electric and gas utility industry. For further information visit www.fortisinc.com.”

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