The City of Negaunee, located in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, marked a major infrastructure milestone this week with the official opening of the new Irontown Electric Substation, celebrated at a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Lake Superior Community Partnership on Tuesday.

Located at 504 Peninsula Street, the $7.4 million project replaces the aging substation at US-41 and Baldwin Street that had powered the city since 1961. Of the total investment, $5.4 million funded the substation itself, with $2 million allocated to upgraded distribution lines connecting it to the power grid.

Commissioned following a 2021 Power Systems Engineers study, the new substation was determined to be a more cost-effective solution over the long term than upgrading the outdated infrastructure. The previous equipment, ranging from 40 to 60 years old, had exceeded its expected lifespan and was nearing capacity.

A planned outage on April 30 completed the transfer of circuits, and the Irontown Substation has been successfully powering the city for over a month.

"This substation marks 50-plus years of continuity with our electric department," said Nate Heffron, Negaunee City Manager. "It allows us to provide power to our customers at a competitive rate."

The municipally-owned facility features two 7.5 MVA transformers supporting four circuits. Mark Wainio, Electric Department Supervisor, emphasized improved control, affordability, and reliability for local residents and businesses.

The old substation will be decommissioned in the coming months.