PSC gives verbal approval to ATC transmission line project
North Appleton-Morgan includes 345,000- and 138,000-volt lines, substation work
MADISON, Wis. – The three commissioners of the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin gave verbal approval to an electric reliability project in northeastern Wisconsin today. At an open meeting, the commissioners agreed on the need for the North Appleton-Morgan Transmission Line Project and approved a route through Outagamie, Brown, Shawano and Oconto counties.
“The approval of the North Appleton – Morgan project by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin represents a major step forward in strengthening the electric transmission grid in northeastern Wisconsin,” said David Hovde, senior local relations representative for American Transmission Co. “We will continue to work with landowners and other interested parties as we move into the construction phase of the project.”
As part of ATC’s Bay Lake Project announced in 2012, North Appleton-Morgan includes:
- A new 345-kV line and a new 138-kV line between the North Appleton Substation on French Road in the Town of Freedom in Outagamie County and the Morgan Substation in Oconto County (about 40 to 48 miles depending on route),
- Expanded facilities at North Appleton and Morgan substations,
- A new Benson Lake Substation at the site of the Amberg Substation in Marinette County to accommodate a large voltage-control device and
- Additional work at 11 substations in northern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
ATC met with landowners, local officials and other interested stakeholders for nearly two years to develop route alternatives for the new transmission lines. Single-circuit, self-supporting steel monopole structures would be used in most locations. The typical height of the structures would be 85 feet on the 138-kV line and 120 feet on the 345-kV line.
Preliminary estimated cost of the project is $307 to $327 million; a more refined cost estimate will be included in the PSC’s final order for the project, which is anticipated to be issued within the next month.
Plans for the project will follow this general timeline:
Property owner notifications ……… June 2015
Begin easement negotiations………..Late 2015
Construction start……………………….July 2016
In-service date……………………………Second quarter 2019
Note to editors: A high-level map of the project’s route, along with other information, is available at www.BayLakeProject.com
The project application and other documents associated with the regulatory review process are available at www.psc.wi.gov under Docket No. 137-CE-166.
###