Project overview - Complete and energized

Construction was completed in June 2008 for a new 138-kilovolt, 16-mile line between Eagle River and Conover. Construction will then continue on a related project between the Conover Substation and the Plains Substation in Norway, Mich.

The electric transmission infrastructure serving northern Wisconsin and the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan is in need of reinforcement. Significant growth has occurred in the Rhinelander/Eagle River area, resulting in an overloaded system that is vulnerable to interruptions and even blackouts under severe conditions. The lines to the east that connect northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula are the most severely constrained in the ATC system. The constraints limit ATC's ability to move power in and out of the Upper Peninsula, requiring higher-cost generators on the system to run more often, costing ATC customers million of dollars a year. In addition, there is limited ability to schedule maintenance on these lines, resulting in reduced reliability and increased operating costs.