ATC to host open houses for Bay Lake Project
Preliminary routes to be presented and discussed for project study areas
DE PERE, Wis. – American Transmission Co. will host a series of public open houses in early October to provide area landowners and other interested parties an opportunity to comment on ATC’s preliminary routes for new transmission lines and a substation in northeastern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
The Bay Lake Project will address regional reliability concerns and includes the following components:
• A Green Bay-area substation, a 345-kV line between the new substation and the Morgan Substation near Oconto Falls, Wis., and a 138-kV line between the same two substations. A large voltage-control device also will be required and is likely to be located on ATC property near its Amberg, Wis. substation.
• A 345-kV line from Morgan to the Plains Substation near Quinnesec, Mich.
• A 138-kV line from Holmes to the Old Mead Road Substation in Escanaba, Mich., designed to accommodate an additional circuit to the Chandler Substation, also in Escanaba, in the future.
When the Bay Lake Project was originally proposed, it also included a line from the Plains Substation to an expanded National Substation near Ishpeming, Mich. That portion of the project is temporarily on hold while MISO, the regional transmission planning authority, conducts a Northern Area Study to address a number of transmission proposals and issues in Manitoba, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.
At the open houses, ATC staff will be on hand to discuss with stakeholders the
Bay Lake Project plans, including route options under consideration.
The open houses will take place on:
Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012: Harris, Mich.
Island Resort and Casino
W399 Hwy 2 & 41
1 to 7 p.m. EDT
Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012: Crivitz, Wis.
The Woods Supper Club
W10508 Kottke Road
1 to 7 p.m. CDT
Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2012: Green Bay, Wis.
Radisson Hotel and Conference Center / Wolf Room
2040 Airport Drive
1 to 7 p.m. CDT
Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012: Iron Mountain, Mich.
Pine Mountain Resort
N3332 Pine Mountain Road
1 to 7 p.m. CDT
Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012: Oconto Falls, Wis.
Oconto Falls Senior Center
512 Caldwell Ave.
1 to 7 p.m. CDT
Following public outreach and involvement, ATC expects to file applications to build the facilities with regulatory agencies in Michigan and Wisconsin in late 2013 and 2014. If approved by both states, construction of the project would begin in 2015 to meet in-service dates of late 2016 through 2017.
Total preliminary cost for the revised project components are estimated to be between $286 million and $430 million for the 345-kV facilities and between $149 million and $222 million for the 138-kV facilities.