American Transmission Co. proposes electric reliability project for southeast Wisconsin and northeast Illinois
Residents can provide input on new power line and substation at March 16 public open house
PEWAUKEE, Wis. – American Transmission Co. is proposing a project to address an electric reliability issue that occurs when there are high power flows on the transmission system from Wisconsin into Illinois. The proposed Wisconsin-Illinois Reliability Project would provide a reliable, alternative power path to address emergency conditions and accommodate increased power flows. The project components include: constructing a double-circuit 345-kilovolt transmission line to connect to an existing line near Pleasant Prairie, Wis., and connecting that line to the ComEd transmission system through a proposed substation area on the north side of Rosecrans Road (Hwy. 173) in the village of Wadsworth, Ill.
ATC will host a public open house from 4:30 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16, at the Thunderhawk Golf Club, 39700 N. Lewis Ave., Beach Park, Ill. The open house gives local residents and other stakeholders the opportunity to learn about the proposed project and substation location, and to provide feedback about the project. This open house will be the first of three public open houses; subsequent meetings will be held in Illinois later this spring.
“The existing transmission lines between Wisconsin and Illinois are designed to transport a limited amount of power, but the amount of electricity moving between the two states has increased significantly in the last five years,” said Barbara Mikolajczyk, ATC major project manager. “When those lines become heavily loaded, there’s a substantial risk for widespread, cascading outages. This project would alleviate that risk by providing increased reliability for this area.”
The transmission line could range from three to five miles in length, and depending on the route selected is estimated to cost between $52 million to $63 million. Regulatory applications will be submitted to the Illinois Commerce Commission in mid-2016 and the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin in fall 2016. A decision from each of the regulatory agencies is expected in early 2017 and fall 2017, respectively.
More information including a project map can be found on the project web page.