American Transmission Co. projects

Project website for a Wisconsin-based company that owns and operates the high-voltage electric transmission system that powers communities in portions of the Upper Midwest.

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ATC completes work on cost-saving power line

High-voltage line in south central Wisconsin connects to regional generation sources

PEWAUKEE, Wis. – American Transmission Co. has put into service a new, 35-mile high voltage electric transmission line in south central Wisconsin that provides local electric utilities with improved access to the regional energy market to buy and sell electricity when it is economic to do so. The 345-kilovolt circuit was built on an existing transmission line right-of-way between the Rockdale Substation in the Town of Christiana in Dane County and the Paddock Substation located in the Town of Beloit in Rock County. The lines that extend south out of the Paddock Substation into Illinois create a path for importing power into Wisconsin.

“Completion of this project is a significant milestone,” said Flora Flygt, director of Transmission Planning. Paddock-Rockdale is the first transmission line project within the footprint of the Midwest Independent System Operator that was justified on economics. Until this project, transmission lines in the region have almost exclusively been built to enhance reliability of electric power in the area. Although improved reliability will be a by-product of the project, economics drove the decision to build.

Flygt said, “The primary benefit of this line is local electric distribution companies now have greater ability to participate in the wholesale electricity market.” She explains, “Wisconsin has fewer transmission line connections to other states compared with its neighboring states. This transmission congestion limits the ability of electric utilities to access the market to purchase lower-cost electricity when prices are lower and sell into the market when prices are higher. The economic benefits of enhanced access can be passed on to end-use customers. The Paddock-Rockdale project provides the needed transmission capacity for today’s energy marketplace, especially with the growing movement toward renewable energy.”

The Paddock-Rockdale project was completed ahead of schedule, and within the approved $133 million budget. Anticipated savings from the project are expected to more than pay for its development.

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Formed in 2001 as the nation’s first multi-state transmission-only utility, American Transmission Co. is a Wisconsin-based company that owns and operates 10,081 miles of electric transmission lines and 582 substations in portions of Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois. Our transmission network enables the movement of electricity produced from all forms of generation resources to areas where it is needed – helping to keep the lights on, businesses running and communities strong. Visit our website at www.atcllc.com.

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