ATC sees need for $2.7 billion in transmissions upgrades
From a media release issued by American Transmission Company, LLC:
WAUKESHA, Wis. – American Transmission Co. identifies in its 2008 10-Year Transmission System Assessment report (www.atc10yearplan.com ) an estimated $2.7 billion in work needed over the next 10 years to ensure that the transmission grid can reliably meet the electricity needs of people and businesses in communities throughout most of Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. This is in addition to the $1.9 billion that ATC has invested in the transmission system over the past seven years.
“We’ve made major progress in improving electric system reliability in our first seven years as owner and operator of the transmission grid,” said Flora Flygt, director of ATC Transmission Planning.
“Some pockets of vulnerability remain, notably Dane and Walworth counties and the Green Bay, Appleton and Rhinelander areas. In these locales, low voltages and overloaded facilities must be addressed to maintain future system reliability. New and upgraded infrastructure will be needed.”
She added, “We also have to address the infrastructure needs of adding more wind power onto the grid. Building new interstate high-voltage transmission lines with the strategic location and capacity to deliver large volumes of renewable power from remote areas where it’s located into population centers will be a central challenge for years to come.”
Of the $2.7 billion investment that ATC identified in its 2008 Assessment, approximately $1.3 billion would be for new equipment including:
• adding 210 miles of new transmission lines,
• upgrading more than 540 miles of existing lines and
• installing more than 23 new transformers and 39 capacitor banks.
The remaining $1.4 billion would be for improvements including:
• maintenance on aging equipment
• connections to power plants
• infrastructure replacements and relocations
• distribution interconnections and
• other smaller network reliability improvements
