Upper Peninsula Power Company
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electric utility |
| Founded | 1947 |
| Headquarters | Marquette , United States |
Area served | Central and western Upper Peninsula of Michigan (Alger, Baraga, Delta, Houghton, Iron, Keweenaw, Marquette, Menominee, Ontonagon, Schoolcraft counties) |
| Products | Electricity |
The Upper Peninsula Power Company (UPPCO) is an electric utility firm based in Marquette, Michigan, with additional service offices located in Escanaba, Houghton, Iron River, Ishpeming, Munising, and Ontonagon.
History
Formed in 1947, UPPCO originated from the consolidation of three utilities: the Houghton County Electric Light Company, Copper District Power Company, and Iron Range Light and Power.
In 1961, UPPCO became part of a consortium led by Wisconsin Public Service Corporation (WPS) called the Wisconsin-Upper Michigan System (WUMS), which was created to improve grid reliability through coordinated maintenance and infrastructure planning across Upper Michigan and Wisconsin.
WPS established the holding entity WPS Resources Corporation in 1994 and acquired UPPCO in 1998. Following a merger between WPS Resources and Peoples Energy Corp. that created Integrys Energy Group, UPPCO initiated its separation from Integrys in 2007 and restored its status as an independent utility by 2017.
Service area
UPPCO provides electricity to about 52,000 customers situated within ten counties in the central and western regions of Michigan's Upper Peninsula: Alger, Delta, Marquette, Menominee, Schoolcraft, Baraga, Houghton, Iron, Ontonagon, and Keweenaw. This coverage corresponds to an average density of approximately 12 customers per square mile.
Power generation
Approximately one-fifth of the electricity distributed by UPPCO is generated internally; the remaining supply is purchased from Consumers Energy and Wisconsin Energy Corporation (WE Energies). The company's generation portfolio primarily includes hydroelectric facilities such as:
- Victoria Dam, Rockland – 12.2 MW
- Boney Falls Dam, Cornell – 4.1 MW
- Prickett Hydroelectric Dam, Baraga – 2 MW
- Hoist Hydroelectric Dam, Negaunee – 3.4 MW
- Escanaba 1 Hydroelectric Dam, Escanaba – 1.6 MW
- Escanaba 3 Hydroelectric Dam, Escanaba – 3 MW
Power transmission and distribution
All transmission lines under UPPCO's operation function at a voltage level of 138,000 volts and are interconnected with Wisconsin Public Service Corporation, Wisconsin Energies, and Cloverland Electric Cooperative.
The sub-transmission network runs at 69,000 volts and links with Marquette Board of Light and Power, Alger-Delta Electric Cooperative, as well as Cloverland Electric Cooperative.
The distribution system operates at voltages of 12,470/7,200 volts and includes roughly 3,300 miles of single-phase and three-phase power lines serviced by a total of 58 substations.