American Transmission Co. updates 10-Year Transmission System Assessment
Connecting to sustainable energy resources is increasing need for new, updated transmission infrastructure
PEWAUKEE, Wis. – American Transmission Co.’s 10-year plan to address the need for electric grid improvements highlights projects that are driven by sustainable energy generation proposals along with ongoing asset maintenance for achieving the highest standards in reliability, efficiency and safety.
“Our long-term planning efforts require flexibility to support an evolving, sustainable energy future,” said Andy Dolan, vice president of system planning. “We have seen over 2,200 megawatts of fossil-fueled generation retire in our footprint since the beginning of 2018; meanwhile, we are studying proposals from the Midcontinent Independent System Operator to connect over 8,200 megawatts of solar generation and almost 1,500 megawatts of wind generation. To plan a robust transmission system, we’re analyzing the trends of this changing generation mix to best meet the needs of our owners and energy consumers.”
Specifically, the plan calls for expenditures of $1.8 billion in asset maintenance, $0.2 billion in regional Multi-Value Projects, $0.4 billion in network projects and between $0.5 billion and $1.1 billion in other capital expenditures.
“Our asset maintenance projects are driven by the need to address aging infrastructure initially installed decades ago,” said Jim Vespalec, director of asset planning and engineering. “Overall, project expenditures in the 2020 plan reflect the measures necessary to maintain and reinforce the system and upgrade its resiliency.”
The full plan is available for viewing at ATC10YearPlan.