Jan 13 (Reuters) - ITC Holdings Corp said on Friday it received a Presidential Permit from the U.S. Department of Energy allowing its proposed Lake Erie Connector power line project between Ontario and Pennsylvania to cross the international border.

The Lake Erie project is a 1,000-megawatt, bi-directional, underwater transmission line that would provide the first direct link between the Ontario and PJM power grids, according to ITC.

PJM operates the power grid in all or parts of 13 U.S. Mid-Atlantic and Midwest states and the District of Columbia.

ITC is a unit of Canadian energy company Fortis Inc .

(Reporting by Karen Rodrigues in Bengaluru and Scott DiSavino in New York)