ATC announces changes to Bay Lake Project
Some work deferred in northern Wisconsin; scope scaled back in Michigan
DE PERE, Wis. – American Transmission Co. has modified the scope of its Bay Lake Project – a proposed collection of transmission lines and substations to enhance reliability in northeastern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
“As we noted when announcing the project in spring 2012, there’s a delicate balance among transmission, generation and electric load in the region. Now, a year later, that balance continues to shift,” explained David Hovde, ATC’s local relations representative for the project. “The industry also is transitioning to more region-wide transmission planning, with the regional operator, MISO, playing a larger role. These issues have required further study; consequently, we are deferring some work in northern Wisconsin and making revisions to the project in Michigan.”
Specifically, work is being deferred on the proposed 345-kilovolt line between the Morgan Substation in Oconto County, Wis., and the Plains Substation near Quinnesec, Mich. MISO is undertaking a Northern Area Study, which is reviewing long-range transmission needs in Manitoba, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.
Additionally, feedback from industry stakeholders and further analysis of evolving reliability standards indicates that a single-circuit 138-kV line between the Holmes Substation in Menominee County, Mich., and the Escanaba area will be adequate for the foreseeable future. This will require substantial review of the routing and siting work done last year to identify opportunities to co-locate the new circuit with existing 69-kV facilities. This also may bring additional stakeholders into the process. An open house to present two routes for the new line will be held in the area in June 2013.
No changes have been made to the proposal between the Green Bay area and the Morgan Substation. Open houses will be conducted in May 2013 to present the location of a new Green Bay-area substation and two routes for a 345-kV line and a 138-kV line.
Additional information is available at www.BayLakeProject.com