The total includes $1 billion for transmission network upgrades, along with $1.5 billion in interconnection and asset renewal projects, infrastructure replacements and relocations, and other smaller network reliability improvements. That is down from the 2008 ten-year assessment of $2.7 billion, although the current forecast may change due to regional initiatives to build transmission infrastructure to support renewable generation.
Flora Flygt, director of transmission planning at ATC, said: “While ATC has made significant progress since beginning operation in 2001, we continue our process to assess and reassess the needs of our customers to determine and evolve, over time, the best set of transmission projects to meet those needs.
“Now, more than ever, we are committed to an open, collaborative process to select best-value projects that resolve multiple electric system issues over a broad region.”
The ATC report lists nine regional collaborative planning initiatives in which ATC is participating, including the SMARTransmission Study to identify extra-high voltage transmission infrastructure needed to move wind power within a nine-state region from the Dakotas to Ohio, as well as the Regional Generator Outlet Study being conducted by the Midwest Independent System Operator.
Paul Roehr, director of reliability and interconnections at ATC, said: “While our reliability performance data indicates that our system is performing well, we are including more detailed information in this year’s assessment to acknowledge how we manage the risk of aging infrastructure.”
ATC owns, operates, builds and maintains the high-voltage electric transmission system serving portions of Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and Illinois.
