Edison Sault Electric Company

Edison Sault Electric Company was a public electric utility based in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Founded in 1892, it supplied electricity to the eastern portion of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, with a service territory spanning Chippewa, Mackinac, Schoolcraft, and Delta counties. Its principal generation asset was the Saint Marys Falls Hydropower Plant on the St. Marys River in downtown Sault Ste. Marie. The plant gave the company a locally rooted generation base and also allowed it to sell surplus power during low-demand nighttime periods to larger utilities, including Upper Peninsula Power Company and Consumers Energy. The company operated as part of a broader corporate structure through its parent company, ESELCO. In 1998, Wisconsin Energy Corporation acquired Edison Sault when it purchased ESELCO. This made the small Upper Peninsula utility part of a larger regional energy group, while its local generation, transmission, and distribution infrastructure continued to support customers in its established territory. Edison Sault's electrical system included 138-kilovolt transmission facilities, 69-kilovolt subtransmission facilities, and 13.2-kilovolt distribution facilities. Its high-voltage network was connected to other utilities through four 138-kilovolt interconnections. Two of those connections linked the system with Consumers Energy through lines crossing the Straits of Mackinac, while two others connected it with Wisconsin Electric, its former sister company. Additional 69-kilovolt connections linked Edison Sault with Cloverland Electric and Upper Peninsula Power Company. In 2009, Wisconsin Energy announced a definitive agreement to sell Edison Sault Electric Company to Cloverland Electric Cooperative of Dafter, Michigan. The transaction marked a shift from ownership by a large investor-owned energy company to ownership associated with a regional electric cooperative. Available reference material describes Edison Sault as a former public utility rather than as an independently operating contemporary brand. Its historical significance rests on its long service to the Upper Peninsula, its hydroelectric generation on the St. Marys River, and its integration into the interconnected electricity system serving Michigan and neighboring utility territories.

Edison Sault Electric Company was established in 1892 in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. It developed as a local electric utility serving the eastern Upper Peninsula, a geographically distinctive region separated from Michigan's Lower Peninsula by the Straits of Mackinac and characterized by dispersed communities and industrial activity. Over time, its service area expanded or was organized across four counties: Chippewa, Mackinac, Schoolcraft, and Delta. The utility's most important generating facility was the Saint Marys Falls Hydropower Plant, located on the St. Marys River in downtown Sault Ste. Marie. The plant supplied the company's system with hydroelectric power and represented the connection between local utility infrastructure and the area's significant waterways. Edison Sault could also use its system's interconnections to exchange electricity with neighboring utilities. During periods of low nighttime demand, it was able to sell power from the small hydroelectric facility to larger companies such as Upper Peninsula Power Company and Consumers Energy. Edison Sault's infrastructure formed part of a wider interconnected regional grid. Its transmission system operated at 138 kilovolts, its subtransmission system at 69 kilovolts, and its distribution system at 13.2 kilovolts. Four 138-kilovolt interconnections connected the utility to other systems. Two links, identified as McGulpin-Straits No. 1 and No. 2, connected with Consumers Energy in Lower Michigan and passed beneath the Straits of Mackinac. Two other links, identified as Arnold-Indian Lake No. 1 and No. 2, connected Edison Sault with Wisconsin Electric, which had been a sister company under earlier ownership arrangements. The 69-kilovolt network also connected with Cloverland Electric and Upper Peninsula Power Company. Corporate ownership changed significantly in the late twentieth century. In 1998, Wisconsin Energy Corporation acquired Edison Sault through its purchase of ESELCO, the company's parent. The transaction placed a historically local utility within a larger energy-company group. Edison Sault nevertheless remained identified with its Upper Peninsula service territory and continued to operate its local generation and network assets. In 2009, Wisconsin Energy announced a definitive agreement to sell the utility to Cloverland Electric Cooperative, based in Dafter, Michigan. The announced transaction represented another change in the company's ownership model, moving the utility from the Wisconsin Energy corporate group toward a regional cooperative. The available reference material does not provide a detailed account of the transaction's closing date, consideration, subsequent asset transfers, or the precise point at which the Edison Sault corporate identity ceased to be used. It does, however, characterize Edison Sault as a former public utility. The company's documented history is therefore best understood through its regional service role, its St. Marys River hydroelectric plant, and its network relationships with neighboring Michigan and Wisconsin utilities.

• 2009

  Sale to Cloverland Electric announced

  [1]Edison Sault Electric Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Wisconsin Energy announced a definitive agreement to sell Edison Sault Electric Company to Cloverland Electric Cooperative of Dafter, Michigan.

• 1998

  Acquired by Wisconsin Energy

  [1]Edison Sault Electric Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Wisconsin Energy Corporation acquired Edison Sault as part of its purchase of the utility's parent company, ESELCO.

• 1892

  Company founded in Sault Ste. Marie

  [1]Edison Sault Electric Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Edison Sault Electric Company was founded in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, to provide electric utility service in the region.

Regional electric utility serving communities and businesses in Michigan's eastern Upper Peninsula.

• Electric utility service · 1892

  Retail electricity service

  Edison Sault supplied electricity to residents, businesses, and other customers in the eastern portion of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Its documented service territory covered Chippewa, Mackinac, Schoolcraft, and Delta counties. The offering depended on a combination of local generation, purchased or exchanged power, transmission, subtransmission, and distribution infrastructure.

• Hydroelectric generation

  Saint Marys Falls Hydropower Plant

  The Saint Marys Falls Hydropower Plant was Edison Sault's only generating station identified in the reference material. Located on the St. Marys River in downtown Sault Ste. Marie, it supplied hydroelectric power to the utility's system. During low-demand nighttime periods, Edison Sault could sell power from the plant to larger neighboring utilities.

• Power network

  Electricity transmission and distribution

  The utility operated a multi-level electrical network consisting of 138-kilovolt transmission, 69-kilovolt subtransmission, and 13.2-kilovolt distribution facilities. Interconnections with Consumers Energy, Wisconsin Electric, Cloverland Electric, and Upper Peninsula Power Company enabled regional power exchange and grid connectivity.

• 2009

  Agreement to sell Edison Sault to Cloverland Electric CooperativeM&A

  Background

  Wisconsin Energy announced a planned divestiture of Edison Sault Electric Company after owning it through the ESELCO transaction.

  Action taken

  Wisconsin Energy announced a definitive agreement to sell Edison Sault to Cloverland Electric Cooperative of Dafter, Michigan.

  Aftermath

  The announcement pointed to a transition from ownership by a large energy corporation to ownership associated with a regional electric cooperative. The available reference does not specify the closing date or transaction value.

  Source

• 1998

  Wisconsin Energy purchase of ESELCOM&A

  Background

  Edison Sault Electric Company was held through its parent company, ESELCO, before Wisconsin Energy Corporation acquired the parent.

  Action taken

  Wisconsin Energy Corporation purchased ESELCO, thereby acquiring Edison Sault Electric Company.

  Aftermath

  Edison Sault became part of Wisconsin Energy's utility portfolio and retained its regional operating infrastructure.

  Source

1. 1Edison Sault Electric Companyen.wikipedia.org