Project overview

Construction is under way for a new 345-kilovolt transmission line from a new substation, Gardner Park, located just south of the existing Weston Power Plant (Wausau), to a new substation, called Central Wisconsin, in central Shawano County. The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin granted approval for this project in June 2006. The line is expected to be energized in December 2009.

When completed, this line will support the electrical output of a new 500-megawatt generator at Wisconsin Public Service Corp.'s Weston Power Plant south of Wausau. The transmission system that has carried electricity from the Weston Plant since the 1950s is inadequate to deliver the increased output from the new generator. Both the plant expansion and the new line are needed to serve the increase in electricity usage, which has almost doubled in the last 30 years. 

This approximately 50-mile line will interconnect with a new 345-kilovolt line (Morgan-Werner West Project) to link the existing Morgan Substation, southwest of Oconto Falls, to a new substation called Werner West in the New London area.

At a glance
Communities affected: Villages of Weston and Rothschild and Towns of Kronenwetter, Reid and Elderon in Marathon County; Towns of Wittenberg, Fairbanks, Morris, Grant, Pella and Belle Plaine in Shawano County; all of northeastern Wisconsin will benefit from improved reliability.
Length of line: Approximately 50 miles
End points: Gardner Park Substation (Weston) and Central Wisconsin Switching Station (proposed to be located adjacent to the Badger Substation in the Town of Belle Plaine)
Voltage: 345 kilovolts
Type of structure: single steel pole  view pole (616k pdf)
Height of poles: 105 to 155 feet
Status of project: Construction under way - about 50 percent complete. Visit www.atc-gcmw.com for further details.

Schedule
PSC decision: June 2006
Construction start: Mid 2007
Anticipated in-service date: December 2009

For more information or to comment on this project, e-mail Lee Meyerhofer or call 1-866-899-3204, ext. 6572.