Officials cut the ribbon to celebrate the completion of Negaunee's Irontown Substation. (Journal photo by Abby LaForest)

NEGAUNEE — The Lake Superior Community Partnership hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday evening to announce the opening of the Irontown Electric Substation.

The four year project has finally reached completion, and was celebrated with a ribbon cutting at the substation, which is located at 504 Peninsula Street. Having been in operation for around a month, the substation replaces an older one that was on the corner of US-41 and Baldwin Street since 1961 and used to power Negaunee. The previous substation will be decommissioned and removed once Irontown is fully operational.

Based on a 2021 Power Systems Engineers study that had been commissioned by the Negaunee City Council, the old US-41 substation’s equipment was found to be between 40 to 60 years old and had exceeded its expected lifespan, and that the location’s capacity was reaching its peak load. The study had also concluded that over a ten year period, it would cost considerably less to build a new substation than pay for upgrades to the old one.

A planned power outage on April 30 successfully transferred the electrical circuits from the old substation to Irontown. Now having been in operation for over a month, the substation successfully powers the city and is expected to for decades to come.

“This substation marks 50-plus years of continuity with our electric department. (With this) power, we’ll be able to provide (to) our customers at a lower rate than other competitors in the world, which we really, really want to make sure we do have,” said Negaunee City Manager Nate Heffron at the event.

The project investment cost $7.4 million, which was split between $5.4 million for the new substation and $2 million for upgraded distribution lines connecting the substation to the electrical grid system. The new substation has two 7.5 MVA transformers that supply four circuits, and is the City’s first municipally-owned substation.

“Because the City of Negaunee owns this substation, we will have more control over our own power,” said Electric Department Supervisor Mark Wainio in a press release from LSCP. “We’re proud to implement this new substation, keeping power safe, affordable and reliable for Negaunee’s residents and local businesses.”

For more information about the Irontown Substation, please contact Nate Heffron at 906-475-7700, ext. 11.

Abby LaForest can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 548. Her email address is alaforest@miningjournal.net.