American Transmission Company (ATC) on April 27 filed with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin its final cost report for the Caldron Falls-Goodman Project, noting that the actual project costs as of Dec. 31, 2020, were about $23.7m.
The commission-authorized amount for the project cost totaled about $28.2, the company said, adding that various factors contributed to project cost savings, including that the easement acquisition cost was less than what was planned.
In addition, ATC said, the decision was made to not use third-party construction oversight, which also saved money for the project.
Furthermore, the contingency included in the project estimate was not utilized as the project team was able to proactively control project risk, the company said, adding that offsetting those cost reductions was an increased cost of poles and fixtures for the project.
As TransmissionHub reported, ATC in April 2020 told the commission that the Caldron Falls-Goodman (J-88) Project was placed in service on Jan. 29, 2020.
ATC, in its quarterly progress report for the period Jan. 1 through March 31, 2020, also noted that the project has received the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) Utility Permit, and the WDNR Storm Water and Erosion Control Permit.
Physical construction of the project is 100% complete, ATC said, adding that restoration of the right of way (ROW) continues.
As noted on the project’s webpage, the project involved rebuilding a 21-mile, 69-kV transmission line in Marinette County between the Caldron Falls Hydro substation on Boat Landing 8 Road and the Goodman substation on 614 Woods Lake Road. The line is in an aged condition and reaching the end of its asset life, the site noted, adding that the project involved removing the existing line and building a new line in the same corridor, but generally offset about 38 feet from the current line.
