American Transmission Co.'s 10-year transmission assessment calls for US$3.8B to US$4.4B in new, upgraded lines, facilities through 2020

Rachel Carter

PEWAUKEE, Wisconsin , October 6, 2011 (press release) – 10-Year Assessment calls for $3.8 to $4.4 billion in improvements

Mandatory reliability standards, economics and public policy initiatives are playing an increasing role in planning improvements to the electric transmission grid. American Transmission Co. today released its 10-Year Transmission System Assessment, calling for $3.8 to $4.4 billion in new and upgraded lines and facilities through 2020.

“Local reliability of the electric system is always the top priority for any transmission owner,” noted Jeff Gillen, director of system planning at ATC. “The trend now, though, is to perform broader-based planning, which is driven by regional transmission organizations, government agencies and electricity market economics.”

The 10-year outlook calls for expenditures of $1 billion each in specific network projects and asset maintenance. It also calls for $0.7 billion in regional multi-value projects that provide economic savings and the ability to move renewable energy from where it is generated to where it can be used. The cost of other capital expenditures, including developing or unspecified network projects, interconnection projects and infrastructure relocation, ranges from $1.1 to $1.7 billion.

Included in the latter category is a package of preliminary 138-kilovolt and 345-kilovolt projects to address emerging issues in northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

In addition to planned, proposed and provisional projects within the ATC service area, the report also describes a number of regional planning studies and emerging national policies and priorities.

The full report is available on line at www.atc10yearplan.com; a summary report is available at www.atcllc.com

ATC owns, operates, builds and maintains the high-voltage electric transmission system serving portions of Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois. Formed in 2001 as the nation’s first multi-state transmission-only utility, ATC has invested $2.5 billion to improve the adequacy and reliability of its infrastructure. ATC now is a $2.9 billion company with 9,440 miles of transmission lines and 515 substations. The company is a member of the Midwest ISO regional transmission organization, and provides nondiscriminatory service to all customers, supporting effective competition in energy markets without favoring any market participant. For more information, visit our web site at www.atcllc.com.

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