Work is complete on the new 161/69 kV Couderay to Osprey electric transmission line, a $50 million, 35.5-mile high voltage investment that enhances electric reliability to northern Wisconsin communities.
“The existing line was more than 60 years old and needed to be upgraded,” said Kelsey Holthaus, project manager. “The new infrastructure creates additional capacity on the transmission grid to meet the growing needs of industry and businesses in northern Wisconsin and provides more electric reliability along a corridor that runs from Eau Claire, Wis., to Ironwood, Mich.”
The two-year construction process also replaced two-pole wood structures with single-pole steel structures and existing substations were modified or expanded to accommodate the higher voltage.
Transmission lines move electricity from power generating sources into load centers such as towns and industrial areas. At the substations, transformers lower the voltage before power is sent down lines in the streets for distribution to customers.
