ATC 10 Year Assessment – 2016

2016

10-Year
Assessment

Major projects update

2016-majorprojectsBadger Coulee

Construction is underway on the Badger Coulee transmission line, one of MISO’s 17 Multi‑Value Projects. The project was approved by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin in spring 2015 and is expected to be in service in 2018. The 180‑mile, 345‑kV line between the La Crosse and Dane County areas will deliver reliability, economic and public policy benefits. Sponsored jointly with Xcel Energy, the line will:

  • offset the need for about $190 million in lower‑voltage upgrades in western Wisconsin,
  • increase access to the wholesale energy market and provide between $118 million and $700 million in net economic benefits over the life of the line, and
  • establish another pathway for renewable energy into Wisconsin with a connection to key load centers.
Bay Lake

The Bay Lake Project is a package of proposals intended to address the delicate, shifting balance between generation, load and transmission in the northern portion of our service area.

Construction of the $120 million Holmes‑Old Mead Road portion of Bay Lake began in early 2015. It includes a single 58‑mile, 138‑kV line from the Holmes Substation in Menominee County to the Old Mead Road Substation in Escanaba, Mich., and was placed in‑service on time and under budget in August 2016.

The North Appleton‑Morgan portion includes 345‑kV and 138‑kV lines from our North Appleton Substation in Outagamie County to the Morgan Substation in Oconto County, Wis.; both substations will be expanded. A new substation, Benson Lake in Marinette County, will be required to accommodate a large voltage‑control device. Additional work will be required at 11 other substations. The project was approved by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin in May 2015. Construction of the $328 million project began in 2016. It has an in service date of late 2018.

Cardinal-Hickory Creek

ATC, ITC Midwest LLC and Dairyland Power Cooperative have plans for a 125‑mile, 345‑kV transmission line connecting Dubuque County, Iowa, to Dane County, Wis.

The Cardinal‑Hickory Creek Project is another of MISO’s Multi‑Value Projects. Studies indicate that Cardinal‑Hickory Creek will deliver benefits to local communities and the Midwest region by:

  • improving electric system reliability locally and regionally,
  • delivering economic benefits for utilities and electric consumers, and
  • expanding infrastructure to support public policy for greater use of renewables.

If approved by Wisconsin and Iowa regulators, construction is anticipated to begin in 2019 with an estimated in‑service date of 2023.

Northern Area Reliability Assessment

ATC initiated an effort in 2014 to engage stakeholders and identify potential reinforcements due to generation uncertainties in the northern portion of the ATC system. The 10‑year project list includes the following preliminary projects:

  • Plains-National 138-kV line
  • Plains-Arnold 138-kV line update
  • Increase Plains 345/138 kV transformer capacity
  • Morgan-Thunder-Crivitz 138‑kV project

ATC had collaborated with MISO to include these projects in MTEP 15. ATC is supportive of efforts in Michigan to add generation in the area and will continue to assess the need for these projects as generation proposals mature.

2016-majorprojects2Wisconsin-Illinois Reliability Project

ATC has proposed a reinforcement project to address reliability concerns associated with the Wisconsin‑Illinois Reliability Project. The project efficiently reconfigures two existing 345-kV lines in Wisconsin and Illinois, linking them with approximately three to five miles of double-circuit, 345-kV lines and a new substation.

This proposed reliability project has been approved in the MISO regional-planning process with a projected in‑service date of 2020. It requires approvals from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin and the Illinois Commerce Commission.

Spring Valley‑North Lake Geneva

The $71 million Spring Valley‑North Lake Geneva Project was approved by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin in spring 2016. This project is needed to meet an increase in electric demand in Walworth and Kenosha counties in Wisconsin.

The project involves:

  • construction of a new 138-kV transmission line of approximately 23 miles, stretching from the North Lake Geneva Substation in southern Walworth County to the Spring Valley Substation in western Kenosha County,
  • construction of a new 138‑ and 69‑kV substation on an ATC‑owned parcel along Highway 50 in the Town of Wheatland,
  • construction of a new 69‑kV transmission line to connect the new substation to the existing Twin Lakes Substation in Twin Lakes, and
  • other power line modifications.

Construction will begin in 2017 to meet a 2019 in‑service date.