Water Is Power
The plant ramps up electricity production during on-peak hours (8 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays) and reduces production at all other times. Its power output is dependent upon the volume of water that is available through the power canal and the plant operating head. The plant operating head is the difference in water levels at the plant’s forebay (south side) and the tailrace on the St. Marys River side of the facility.
"The difference in lake elevations between Lake Superior and Lakes Michigan and Lake Huron provides a natural 21-foot water elevation difference," Maas said. "The discharge from Lake Superior either goes over the falls of St. Marys or is passed through the three hydro plants in the rapids areas: one hydropower plant in Sault Canada (Great Lakes Power) and the two plants in the U.S.: the U.S. Corps of Engineers’ St Marys Hydropower Plant and our Edison Sault Electric Hydropower Plant."
Over the past five years, Edison Sault Electric has been allocated, on average, 17,400 cfs to operate its hydropower plant. This allowed it to operate at approximately 58% of its designed capacity. At peak operation, the plant discharges approximately 30,000 cfs of water, which is equivalent to about 13.5 million gallons per minute.
The International Joint Commission (IJC) allocates the plant water every month. The IJC controls the levels on Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes by regulating the amount of water the generating plants on the St. Marys River can use.
Electricity Sales
Edison Sault Hydroelectric Plant is Edison Sault Electric Co.’s only hydro generating station, and the cost of its installation was paid off many years ago. With free fuel, the plant can produce electricity at well below market rates while suppling one-fifth of the power needs of the Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
"Our plant helps provide some of the lowest cost electrical rates in the U.S. Midwest," Maas said.
To supply the remainder of its customers’ electricity needs, Edison Sault is connected by four 138-kV interconnections with other utilities. Two are with International Transmission Co. in lower Michigan (Mackinaw-Straits #1 and Mackinaw-Straits #2). These two transmission lines are submerged under the Straits of Mackinac. The other two interconnections are with We Energies on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula: Perkins-Indian Lake #1 and Perkins-Indian Lake #2.
Edison Sault and Cloverland Electric serve the Eastern Upper Peninsula, from Sault Ste. Marie to St. Ignace, over to and including the Garden Peninsula, which includes a population in excess of 60,000 people. Edison Sault and Cloverland Electric systems require 860 million kWh annually. Total generation from the Edison Sault Hydropower Plant accounts for more than one-fifth of the total power requirements for their combined systems. The balance is supplied either by the U.S. Corps of Engineers’ St. Marys Hydro Plant or by the transmission ties.
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