An order issued yesterday by the
Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) paves the way for major new investment by
Ameren that will create jobs, enable the delivery of renewable energy and
improve the reliability and efficiency of the electric power grid.
Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois (ATXI), a wholly owned subsidiary of
Ameren Corporation AEE, has received approval from the ICC to build
the majority of its nearly 400-mile, approximately $1.1 billion Illinois
Rivers transmission project. The project consists of a new 345-kilovolt
transmission line crossing the Mississippi River near Quincy, Ill., and
continuing east across Illinois to the Indiana border. This is the largest
transmission project in the corporation's history and the largest single
investment by the corporation since the early 1980s.
Right-of-way acquisitions for the approved portions of the project are
expected to begin immediately with a full range of construction activities in
2014, providing a significant boost to the Illinois economy over the next five
years.
"We are pleased with the ICC's decision confirming that the Illinois Rivers
project is necessary and the best approach to addressing the reliability needs
of customers and ensuring the development of an efficient electricity market.
This project will help fuel the Illinois economy and provide customers access
to a variety of energy sources, including wind energy," said Maureen A.
Borkowski, president and CEO of ATXI.
The ICC agreed with and supported the need for this new line and granted a
certificate of public convenience and necessity for seven of nine proposed
segments on the route and three of nine proposed bulk substations. ATXI is
moving forward on the approved portions of the project. The ICC noted the
remaining two segments were not approved due to lack of time and evidence to
determine the most cost-effective route. ATXI plans to request a rehearing to
determine the appropriate routing of the two segments and the location and
need for the substations that were not approved.
The project previously received approvals from the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. (MISO), a
regional transmission organization serving an 11-state region and the Canadian
province of Manitoba.
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