American Transmission Co. has filed an application with the Illinois Commerce Commission seeking approval for the Wisconsin-Illinois Electric Reliability Project.
Components of this project include: constructing a double-circuit, 345,000-V transmission line to connect to an existing line in southern Pleasant Prairie, Wis., and connecting that line to the ComEd transmission system in Illinois through a proposed substation on the north side of Rosecrans Road (Hwy. 173) in the Village of Wadsworth.
The 3- to 5-mile transmission line would provide a reliable, alternative power path to address the potential risk of cascading outages under certain operating conditions, and also would accommodate the increasing power flows occurring from Wisconsin to Illinois.
“The ICC will conduct a comprehensive review of ATC’s application for the transmission line and substation, including the two proposed route options,” said Barbara Mikolajczyk, ATC project manager. “The regulatory review process in Illinois also includes technical and public hearings anticipated in early 2017, with a final decision expected in spring 2017. The ICC will notify local residents and businesses of the dates and times of the hearings, which provide the public an opportunity to make their concerns known to the decision makers.”
ATC also is required to file an application with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin for the northern portion of the proposed transmission line. That filing is anticipated to occur in November 2016.
The project is estimated to cost $55 million to $66 million. If approved, construction would begin in spring 2020 to meet an in-service date later that same year. Additional information, including the application, can be found on the ICC’s website.