US-based power company Ameren, through its subsidiary Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois (ATXI), has completed and energised the Mark Twain Transmission Project, in northeast Missouri.
Mark Twain Transmission Project is a 96mile (155km), 345,000-volt transmission line and substation, running west from Palmyra to Kirksville, in Missouri, and towards north to the Iowa border.
ATXI chairman and president Shawn E Schukar said: “The Mark Twain Transmission Project benefits are many. In addition to making the energy grid more reliable and promoting renewable and affordable energy such as wind, it will meet energy needs not only for today but well into the future.”
Mark Twain Transmission project involved an investment of $267m
The company said that the Mark Twain Transmission Project benefits locals and the region, through improving energy grid reliability, increasing transmission capacity and providing better access to lower cost energy, including renewable sources.
In addition, the $267m Mark Twain project is designed to include the Zachary substation in Adair County, Missouri, and was brought into service on in December 2019, as per the schedule.
The company has used helicopters to install the transmission line, reduced landowner impact and improved construction efficiency in the project execution.
The Missouri Public Service Commission awarded a certificate of convenience and necessity for the ATXI’s Mark Twain Transmission Project, in January 2018, and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), a regional transmission organization had approved project in 2011.
Mark Twain is part of Multi-Value Projects, a multi-state group of transmission projects developed by transmission owners in MISO, to enhance and strengthen the regional energy grid.
Schukar added: “The speed and efficiency with which this line was developed and constructed can be attributed to the ongoing collaboration and strong communication efforts we had with landowners, community representatives and Northeast Missouri Electric Power Cooperative.
“Because of our focus on communication, our contract partners were able to quickly move forward on key construction phases, meet crucial deadlines and now energize this important infrastructure project that bolsters the energy grid.”
