Major projects update

Arcadian Substation – Power Transformer, Control House, Breaker, 345-kV Bus Reconfiguration Asset Renewal

The Arcadian Substation Rebuild Project consists of 138-kV and 345-kV asset renewals of early 1970’s vintage equipment and the reconfiguration of the 345-kV bus from a straight bus to a breaker-and-a-half. The project is designed to: (1) address asset renewal needs by replacing obsolete and/or poorly performing equipment; (2) improve reliability performance and operational flexibility; (3) conform to industry best practices; and (4) efficiently provide for future transmission needs. 

The cost of the project is estimated to be $51.6 million and includes: 

Asset renewals 
Control house 
One power transformer and retirement of one power transformer  
24 relay panels 
11 – 345-kV circuit breakers 
Eight – 138-kV circuit breakers 
29 – 345-kV disconnect switches 
13 – 138-kV disconnect switches 
345-kV bus reconfiguration from straight bus to breaker-and-a-half

An application was filed with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin in November 2020. Construction starting started in 2022. The project is scheduled to be in service in 2025.  

Barneveld and Military Ridge Interconnection Project

The Barneveld Military Ridge Interconnection Project is a new transmission-to-distribution interconnection needed to reliably serve Alliant Energy and Mount Horeb Utilities electric needs into the future.

The cost of the project is estimated to be $13.1 million and includes:

A new Barneveld 69/12.47-kV substation. The substation will have two transmission line breakers and provisions for a future bus-tie breaker to support the ultimate two-transformer substation
A new Military Ridge 69/12.47-kV substation
A new 14-mile, 69-kV line (138-kV capable) from Hooterville to Mount Horeb substations on the PSCW ordered route and vacant tower position of the 345-kV Cardinal-Hickory Creek Transmission Line Project to the new substations
The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin approved the project scope in February 2022

Bayport–Pioneer Rebuild Project

The rebuild of a 69‑kV transmission line in northeast Wisconsin, along with associated substation work, was approved by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin in spring 2020 at a cost of $51.7 million. Approximately 22 miles of line on 1910s‑vintage wood poles will be rebuilt, running between Bayport Substation and Pioneer Substation. The line will serve three distribution substations in Brown County and Oconto County.

The Bayport‑Pioneer Rebuild Project consists of the following:

Rebuild the line between Bayport and Pioneer substations with double‑circuit structures
String both Bayport‑Pioneer lines, combine, and operate as one line at 138‑kV
Convert Suamico and Sobieski substations to 138‑kV operation
De‑energize the Pulliam‑Bayport 69‑kV section of line

The project was placed in service in August 2022.

As part of ATC’s analysis of the area, it was determined that the area north of the Bayport-Pioneer corridor, the Pioneer-Crivitz 69-kV lines, were due for asset renewal. ATC performed a thorough analysis and determined that these two 69-kV lines can be retired and the load moved to the 138-kV system, saving ratepayers more than $20 million. This part of the project will be completed in late 2022.

Cardinal–Hickory Creek

ATC, ITC Midwest LLC and Dairyland Power Cooperative are constructing the Cardinal-Hickory Creek Transmission Line Project — an approximately 102-mile long, 345‑kV transmission line connecting Dubuque County, Iowa, to Dane County, Wis. The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin approved the project in September 2019. The United States Rural Utilities Service issued a Record of Decision for the project in January 2020 and the Iowa Utilities Board issued a franchise for the Iowa portion of the project in May 2020.

The Cardinal-Hickory Creek project is one of 17 multi-value projects approved by MISO in 2011. Studies conducted initially and since that time indicate that the project will deliver benefits to local communities and the Midwest region by:

Connecting the electric transmission system in the Upper Midwest
Allowing renewable energy generation to be delivered across the region
- As of April 11, 2022, there are 127 renewable generation projects dependent upon the construction and operation of Cardinal-Hickory Creek
Providing $23 million to $350 million in net economic benefits to Wisconsin customers, and  
Improving local and regional electric system reliability

Construction began in Iowa in April of 2021 and in Wisconsin in November of 2021 and the project is expected to be in service by the end of 2023.

Darien and Paris Solar Network Upgrade Project

This project re-routes the existing Arcadian-Zion 345-kV line into and out of a new substation to be connected to the Paris 138-kV bus by a single 345/138-kV transformer. The project is needed to accommodate increased power flows due to the Darian Solar Energy Center and Paris Solar Battery Park generation developments near the Paris Substation.

The cost of the project is estimated to be $27.4 million and includes:

A new Paris 345/138-kV substation
Looping the 345‑kV line between Arcadian and Zion into the new substation
Adding a transformer to connect the new and existing Paris busses
Upgrading the grounding at Berryville to handle the increased fault current, due to the new generation

The Certificate of Authority application was approved by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin in July 2021. Construction is targeting completion and in service in December 2022; however, continued material delays may impact actual completion and in service.

Granville Substation – 345kV Bus Reconfiguration, Replace Control House, Breaker Asset Renewal

The Granville Substation Rebuild Project consists of 138-kV and 345-kV asset renewals of early 1970’s vintage equipment and the reconfiguration of the 345-kV bus from a straight bus to a ring bus. The project is designed to: (1) address asset renewal needs by replacing obsolete and/or poorly-performing equipment; (2) improve reliability performance and operational flexibility; (3) conform to industry best practices; and (4) efficiently provide for future transmission system needs.

The cost of the project is estimated to be $40.5 million and includes:

Asset renewals:
- Control house
- 20 relay panels
- 11 circuit breakers
- Several 345-kV and 138-kV disconnect switches
345-kV bus reconfiguration from straight bus to ring bus
Replacement of two 138-kV high-pressure fluid-filled underground substation circuit exits with overhead, retirement of the pump house and retirement of the East Granville Terminal

An application was filed with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin in June of 2022. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2023, and the project is scheduled to be in service in 2025.

Howards Grove–Erdman Project

The construction of a new 138-kV transmission line in eastern Wisconsin, along with associated substation work, was approved by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin in April 2022 at a cost of $28 million. The new line will address reliability concerns in Sheboygan County and the surrounding area.

The Howards Grove-Erdman 138-kV line project consists of the following:

Construct a new 7.3-mile 138-kV line from the Howards Grove Substation to the Erdman Substation
Expand Howards Grove 138-kV Substation to a 4-position ring bus
Reconfigure the Erdman 138-kV Substation to accommodate the new line

The project is scheduled to be in service in August 2023.

I-94 Stadium (DOT) Milwaukee County Project

The I-94 Stadium (DOT) Milwaukee County project has 3 primary need drivers. These need drivers include:

Relocating and rebuilding of transmission lines and substation facilities in conflict with the proposed WisDOT I-94 East/West corridor rebuild
Rebuilding of select ATC lines adjacent due to age and condition
Enhancements of ATC communications along the existing corridor

The project consists of the following:

WisDOT I-94 E/W Relocation (~1.5 miles with line routing and substation site selection to be determined)
I-94 Stadium Project Asset Renewal (~.5 miles)
I-94 Stadium Project Communications – Fiber Installation (~ 4 miles between 96th Street Substation to Valley substation)

The project is preliminarily scheduled to be in service in December 2026 based on WisDOT’s current schedule and is targeting MTEP 2022 Appendix A as one project.

Marquette County Reactive Power Project

The Marquette County Reactive Power Project will provide dynamic reactive power support to the Marquette County region by installing a +/- 50-MVAr STATCOM at National Substation. Due to the lack of dynamic reactive power resources in this area in general, many loads experience high pre-contingency voltages and low post-contingency voltages. This project addresses these issues.

The project includes:

Relocate one 138-kV line position (line X-162) to a different bus position at National Substation
Install one +/- 50 MVA, 138-kV STATCOM (Static Synchronous Compensator) at a new site and connect at National Substation

The in-service date is anticipated to be July 2024.

North Central WI Reliability Project

The need for this project is to improve the reliability in the North Central Wisconsin region, specifically the 115kV networked system. The proposed project will provide an additional source at the southern end of the 115kV system, significantly improving area reliability. This will also provide significant operational flexibility and provide positive economic benefit.

The project consists of the following:

Provide a fourth 115kV source into the Rhinelander loop between Hilltop and Pine Substations
Perform lifecycle asset renewal on relays at Hilltop, Maine, and Pine Substations
Expand bus at Pine Substation to accommodate an additional line terminal and upgrade bus to raise the rating to the rating of the new line

The project is scheduled to be in service in June 2026.

Rock County Reliability Project

The Rock County project is urgently needed to address increasingly difficult re-dispatch scenarios and avoid increasing the risk of customer outages. It also will support preparations to address Paddock Substation asset renewal needs in the planning horizon. For MISO’s Transmission Expansion Planning process, the project is under evaluation, targeting Appendix A for MTEP22.

The project includes the following activities:

Expanding the Kittyhawk Substation by adding a 138-kV substation and two 345/138-kV transformers
Looping the Bass Creek-Townline Road line (X-95) into the Kittyhawk 138-kV bus
Looping the Paddock-Townline Road line (X-39) into the Kittyhawk 138-kV bus
Building a third Kittyhawk-Townline Road 138-kV Line
Uprating the Townline Road – Rock River 138-kV line (X-74)
Rebuilding a portion of the Rock River – Colley Road 138-kV line (X-23)
Adding grounding to area substations

The project will require Public Service Commission of Wisconsin authorization. The in-service date is anticipated to be December 2024.

Waupaca Area Storage Project

The Waupaca Area Storage Project was identified in MISO’s 2019 MISO Transmission Expansion Planning (MTEP 19) report as the preferred solution to address an identified reliability need in the Waupaca, Wis. area. MISO in December 2020 approved the project’s inclusion in the regional plan. The $8.1 million project includes:

2.5MW / 5MWh battery at Harrison North Substation (and associated substation work)
14MVAr of total capacitance at the Arnott and Harrison North substations

The project will be installed to help address multiple transmission line outage issues and to provide additional operational flexibility. It is estimated to be in service in late 2022.

West Marinette to Wells Street St. Project

The need for this project is driven by a new load addition in Marinette, Wis. The proposed project will address reliability issues incurred by this new load and provide operating flexibility to perform maintenance without placing area load at risk.

The project consists of the following:

Rebuild 1.6 miles of existing West Marinette – Wells St. 69-kV line as a double circuit 69-kV line
Build new 4-mile, 69-kV transmission line between West Marinette Substation and Wells St. Substation
Add 1.9 miles of new circuit to the existing structures of J62 between the Roosevelt Substation and the Wells St. Substation
Position new 69-kV bus at the West Marinette Substation
Use vacant 69-kV bus position and terminal facilities at Wells Street Substation
Install 1.0-mile underground circuit from Riser Structure to Wells St. (in spare conduit duct)

The project is scheduled to be in service in January 2024.

Winona – Atlantic 69kV Rebuild

This project is needed to support the transmission system in the Keweenaw Peninsula, the northernmost part of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The proposed project will address reliability issues and provide greater operational flexibility for the region.

The project consists of the following:

Rebuilding 22.9 miles of 69kV transmission line between the Winona and Atlantic Substation s
Replacing jumpers and switches at Winona Substation to meet new line rating

The project is scheduled to be in service in December 2024.