ATC withdraws Barnhart-Branch River project filing at PSC
Project affected by announcement of Kewaunee Power Station closing
PEWAUKEE, Wis. – The announcement by Dominion Resources Inc. that the Kewaunee Power Station would close in spring 2013 is affecting plans for a proposed transmission line reinforcement project in eastern Wisconsin.
“Our Barnhart-Branch River project was proposed, in part, to address transmission system limitations in Calumet, Manitowoc and Sheboygan counties,” explained Ron Snead, director of planning for American Transmission Co. The transmission limitations resulted in operating restrictions on both the Point Beach and Kewaunee nuclear generators.
ATC introduced the project to the public in 2010 and recently filed an application for approval with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. “Given the significant impact the Kewaunee plant closing will have on the balance between electric demand, generation and transmission in eastern Wisconsin, we have decided to withdraw the application at this time,” said Snead.
Preliminary analysis shows that the closure of the Kewaunee Power Station would alleviate some, but not all, of the issues addressed by ATC’s Barnhart-Branch River project. ATC’s planning staff will conduct additional analysis regarding transmission system reinforcements to determine specific solutions to support full operation of the Point Beach plant.
MISO, the regional transmission operator, also will undertake a power grid reliability review prior to the plant’s closure.