NEWS RELEASE

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
June 22, 2001

Ernie Maas
(906) 643-9262

Don Sawruk
(906) 632-5150

Edison Sault Electric announces that the last new cable to Mackinac Island was successfully placed into the water between the Island and St. Ignace yesterday, June 21. The installation went flawlessly and was completed in about 8 hours.

The new cable, capable of carrying 14 megawatts (the current island load peaks at about 11.5 megawatts), was manufactured by Kerite Corporation of Connecticut. The cable was shipped by rail from Connecticut to Erie Pennsylvania where it was loaded on a barge owned and transported to St. Ignace by Durocher Dock and Dredge (Cheboygan), the contractor who placed the cable.

Some work still remains to be done to splice and merge the new cable into the existing electric delivery system, with the current expectation being that the cable will be fully operational within the next 7-10 days.

With this final step, Edison Sault has completed all the major steps necessary to position Mackinac Island not only to receive excellent current electrical service but also to allow for the future growth and expansion which may take place on the Island. The final total cost for this entire venture will exceed $6 million dollars when all work is completed.

In addition, the process of having customers submit their damage claims from last summer’s electrical problems continues. To date, over 150 accounts have been settled and another 150 are in the process of being reviewed for settlement.

Edison Sault would again like to publicly thank all those entities which have had a hand in working on this major project. Major outside contractors have included Durocher Dock and Dredge, Novak Engineering, Art Huskey & Sons Excavating, Northern Tree Service, Northwoods Land Surveying, and Hydaker Wheatlake Company.

To contact Customer Service, send mail to customerserv@edisonsault.com.

Send mail to information@edisonsault.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: August 16, 2002