ATC seeks approval from Illinois Commerce Commission to build transmission line from Pleasant Prairie, Wis. to Zion, Ill.
Proposed project would improve electric reliability, deliver economic benefits
PEWAUKEE, Wis. – American Transmission Co. filed an application on Sept. 29 with the Illinois Commerce Commission to build an approximately 5.3-mile, 345,000-volt electric transmission line called the Pleasant Prairie-Zion Energy Center Transmission Line Project.
The northern end point of the line will be the Pleasant Prairie Substation in Pleasant Prairie, Wis. The southern end point will be the Zion Energy Center Substation in the Town of Zion, Ill. The cost of the proposed project is approximately $31 million.
“This project will help relieve transmission congestion and strengthen the electric system by building an additional interstate transmission connection between Wisconsin and Illinois,” said Mary Carpenter, local relations representative for ATC. “It will also provide economic benefits to utilities and electric consumers by enabling the most efficient generators to supply power to the regional energy market.”
ATC must submit applications and receive approval to construct the line from the Illinois Commerce Commission and Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. The application for the Illinois portion of the line includes a preferred route and two alternatives. ATC began public outreach for the project in early 2011 and hosted three public informational meetings in Illinois this spring.
“Because the distance between the substations is less than 6 miles, there are a limited number of corridors that would be suitable for a 345-kV transmission line,” said Carpenter. “State regulators will evaluate the project’s need and benefits, and if approved, select the final route.”
ATC plans to file an application for the Wisconsin portion of the line with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin in October 2011. There will be a preferred and alternate route submitted for the Wisconsin portion of the line. If approved by the PSCW and ICC, construction of the new line would begin in 2013 to meet an in-service date of 2014.