Officials with Indiana Michigan Power are charging ahead with plans to upgrade the existing lines, poles and substations that power homes and businesses in the greater Sister Lakes area.

The power company announced last week that it had finalized plans for a $45 million overhaul to its infrastructure located in Sister Lakes and surrounding communities in Cass and Van Buren counties. These additions and improvements include:

• Building two new substations

• Constructing 7 miles of new 69 kV (kilovolts) transmission line

• Rebuilding 10 miles of 34.5 kV line and upgrading to 69 kV

• Constructing a new 1 mile 69 kV line to the existing Sister Lakes substation

These upgrades, which are expected to be in place by late 2017, are designed to fortify and strengthen the delivery of electricity to structures within the two county region, said Tracy Warner, principal communications consultant with the power company.

“The poles and wires are decades old,” Warner said. “They have served the area well but it’s time they are upgraded.”

Officials with I&M, a regional operating unit of American Electric Power, first announced the project in July, based on a mandate from PJM Interconnection, the regional transmission organization that coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity in the region. The finalized route for the new lines were determined following a public meeting held on Aug. 11 at the Van Buren Conference Center in Lawrence.

Among the improvements residents in the Sister Lakes region will see following the upgrades will be improved stability in service, Warner said.

“Every outage has its own cause and way to fix it, but we do believe this will improve overall reliability,” he said.

Construction on the project is expected to begin in the fall of 2016 and last more than a year before completion. Officials with the power company will begin coordinating with local landowners for placement on the electric poles and other structures this month.

“Southwest Michigan is a very important region for Indiana Michigan Power, and we’re pleased to make this investment,” Warner said.

Residents can find more information about the project at IndianaMichiganPower.com/SisterLakes.