Fitchburg-Verona Electric System Upgrade Project Complete
Project will meet the area’s increasing electricity needs
MADISON, Wis. – American Transmission Co. put into service a critical reinforcement to the electric transmission network serving southern Dane and northern Green counties today. The project included building the new Oak Ridge Substation in Fitchburg and constructing approximately six miles of new 138-kilovolt transmission line to connect the new substation to an existing substation in Verona.
“This new infrastructure is providing much needed reinforcement to the transmission system serving the area,” says Charlie Gonzales, ATC local relations representative. “The new line can better accommodate electric load growth in the community, and it creates an alternate path for electricity to flow in the event of an outage on another portion of the network.”
The project was introduced to the public in 2005, approved by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin in January 2008 and construction began in summer 2008. Construction of the new substation was completed in May 2009, two months ahead of schedule, and the overall project costs will come in under the PSC-approved amount at $18.8 million.
Although construction is completed and the line is in service, some work remains. ATC continues to complete restoration along the right-of-way. “We take great measures to minimize the impact of construction,” says Gonzales. “We want area residents to know we are committed to restoring the corridor.”
“We appreciate the involvement and cooperation of the residents as we worked through the siting and construction of this line,” says Mark Sanzenbacher, ATC project manager.