The firm has secured certificate of convenience and necessity (CCN) to build a100-mile, 345,000-volt transmission line and substation in northeast Missouri.
Planned to be built with an investment of $250m, the project will run from Palmyra to Kirksville in Missouri and north to the Iowa border.
ATXI chairman and president Shawn Schukar said that the transmission project approval marks a significant step toward strengthening the region's energy grid.
"This project will deliver greater energy reliability, economic growth and improved access to clean energy sources for Missouri and its residents."
The transmission line, which will run through Adair, Knox, Lewis, Marion and Schuyler counties in Missouri, will include construction of the Zachary Substation adjacent to the existing Adair Substation in Adair County.
The Commission said: “The Project is needed to integrate wind energy in Missouri and to assist Missouri public utilities in complying with Missouri’s Renewable Energy Standard.”
“The Project is economically feasible because Ameren Missouri customers should receive benefits in excess of transmission charges.”
The PSC also noted that the project is expected to reduce Missourians’ electric rates as compared to rates that would be paid without the project.
Additionally, the project, which is planned to be commissioned by December 2019, is expected to generate significant property tax revenues, the Commission added.
