Fort Wayne, Ind., January 7, 2026 – Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) plans enhancements to the electric transmission grid spanning the St. Joseph River. The Benton Harbor Area Improvements project will upgrade about 6 miles of high voltage transmission lines between Main Street substation on West Main St in Benton Harbor and Hickory Creek substation near North Trail Lane in St. Joseph.

The project involves:

• Rebuilding about 3 miles of transmission line from Hickory Creek Substation and along the St. Joseph River.
• Relocating 0.5 miles of transmission line between Fisherman’s Road and Industrial Court.
• Rebuilding 2.5 miles of transmission line between Industrial Court and Main Street Substation.

I&M plans to replace existing the existing wooden poles with more robust steel to upgrade the line to modern engineering and operational standards. The project will improve reliability, help prevent future outages and speed restoration times if outages occur.

“The Benton Harbor Area Improvements project is a part of a series of investments by Indiana Michigan Power in the St. Joseph and Benton Harbor communities.” said Annie Smith, I&M External Affairs manager. “The line is currently supported by wooden poles that have been there since the 1930’s. Modernization projects like these are key to ensuring our infrastructure is reliable and meets the growing energy needs of our community.”

Crews plan to begin construction in early 2028 and are expected to conclude in spring of 2029. Visit IndianaMichiganPower.com/BentonHarborArea to learn more about this project.

Improvements in the Benton Harbor area also include Fair Plain and Riverside. For more information on these projects, please visit aeptransmission.com/Michigan.

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Indian Michigan Power (I&M) is committed to keeping you informed, while keeping our customers and employees safe and healthy. I&M is headquartered in Fort Wayne, and its approximately 2,100 employees serve more than 600,000 customers. More than 80% of its energy delivered in 2021 was emission-free. I&M has at its availability various sources of generation including 2,278 MW of nuclear generation in Michigan, 450 MW of purchased wind generation from Indiana, more than 22 MW of hydro generation in both states and approximately 35 MW of large-scale solar generation in both states. The company’s generation portfolio also includes 2,620 MW of coal-fueled generation in Indiana.

American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is powering a cleaner, brighter energy future for its customers and communities. AEP’s approximately 16,700 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 224,000 miles of distribution lines to safely deliver reliable and affordable power to 5.5 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with approximately 30,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including more than 6,100 megawatts of renewable energy. The company’s plans include growing its renewable generation portfolio to approximately 50% of total capacity by 2030. AEP is on track to reach an 80% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from 2000 levels by 2030 and has committed to achieving net zero by 2050. AEP is recognized consistently for its focus on sustainability, community engagement and diversity, equity and inclusion. AEP’s family of companies includes utilities AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana, east Texas and the Texas Panhandle). AEP also owns AEP Energy, which provides innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide. For more information, visit aep.com. News releases and other information about I&M are available at www.IndianaMichiganPower.com