Project Updates

The last section of the Conover-Plains upgraded transmission line was recently placed in service. The 73-mile line and associated substations were among some of the oldest facilities on our system. The upgrade was needed to improve reliability and increase the capability to move power between northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The project, which also included the construction of a new 115-kilovolt line between Eagle River and Conover, was approved by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin in 2006 at an authorized cost of $118 million. The project was completed about two months early and about 12 percent under budget.

The 35-mile Paddock-Rockdale transmission line also was placed into service ahead of schedule and within the approved budget of $133 million. The new line provides our customers with better access to the wholesale electricity market. Wisconsin has fewer transmission line connections to other states compared with our neighboring states. That creates congestion on the transmission system and limits the ability of utilities to purchase lower-cost electricity when prices are lower and sell into the market when prices are higher. The new line ends at the Paddock Substation near Beloit; lines south of that substation connect with the transmission grid in Illinois, creating a path for importing power into Wisconsin.

A public hearing on the Canal-Dunn Road project is planned for April 7 at the Sturgeon Bay City Hall. The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin will hear comments on our proposal to build a 138-kV line from the Canal Substation in Sturgeon Bay to the Dunn Road Substation in the Town of Sevastopol in Door County.

Did you know?

This month marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22. Our green teams – groups of employee volunteers who augment our corporate efforts by promoting employee education on sustainability issues – are planning special events. In De Pere, employees are touring the facility that is used to treat and dispose of PCBs from the Fox River clean-up project.  The Madison green team will perform its annual clean up of the fen surrounding the office building and will kick off a summer passport program that will encourage employees to visit state parks, recycling centers, use their bikes for commuting and other activities. In the fall, the filled or stamped passports will be entered into a prize drawing.  Clean up of Busse Woods near our Pewaukee office is on tap for headquarters staff, who also will host the landscaper who designed the bioswales and prairie plantings at our new office site. Kingsford, Mich. employees plan to build a picnic table and donate it to the Florence County Wild Rivers Interpretive Center.

Aerial patrols underway this month

We have more than 9,400 miles of transmission lines on our system, and this month, all of them will be patrolled by helicopters for system inspection. Patrollers will be using enhanced technology this year with the use of a digital pen equipped with a dynamic GIS mapping system and an integrated GPS. The digital pen also will enable more efficient and cost-effective download of the patrol inspection data into Cascade, our Maintenance Department’s work management system. 

2009 annual report available “Renewal” is the theme of our annual report, now available at our web site. The document highlights our efforts to improve reliability, reach out to customers and stakeholders and provide a return for our owners.

Customer Connections

The Cascade work management system will be upgraded this spring. The system is used not only by our personnel, but also by our customers and their contractor/mobile workforce. The upgrade also will involve replacing aging field computers to improve overall system performance and workflow. The system will need to be taken out of service to complete the work; currently, we anticipate the system outage will begin in late May and run through early June. We are looking at ways to keep the outage length to a minimum, and the system improvements should eliminate the need for extended outages during future upgrades. We will keep all users affected by the upgrade informed as we refine the timeline for the outage. Questions about the upgrade should be directed to Mike Mizerek, 920-338-6544, for substation support;  Jackie Novitzke, 920-338-6532, for transmission line support; or the Cascade help line at 866-506-6114.

ATC hosts Network Customer Meetings three times per year. 2010 meetings will occur from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. on the dates listed below.  A teleconference option will also be available for those unable to attend in person. 

Thursday, Aug. 12 – De Pere, WI

Thursday, Dec. 9  – Pewaukee, WI

ATC in the Community

The Einstein Project is a non-profit organization that partners with schools and businesses to provide leadership and support for science education.The Project provides 42 inquiry-based science units to client schools in Wisconsin to help children learn by doing.

We partner with Wisconsin Public Service Corp. to provide a fourth-grade curriculum kit on electric circuits, which concludes with the students planning how to wire and light, then build, a cardboard house.Feedback from teachers has been great:  “My students loved this unit! The first day I heard ‘I love science.’, ‘This is awesome!’” and  “My students had a great time with the unit – they especially loved designing their own houses.”

Nedd Neidermeyer and Jenny Stroud staffed our booth at the Einstein Project’s Science Expo in Green Bay. Helping out was Nedd’s son, Nolan.

Invite an ATC representative to speak to your group

Let us tell you and your service group or professional organization more about ATC. Simply e-mail us at localrelations@atcllc.com and indicate a topic area you're interested in, such as new projects, environmental commitment, vegetation management or electric transmission. We'll work with you to schedule a speaker for an upcoming meeting.   

ATC is a Green Tier company, selected by the Wisconsin DNR for demonstrating superior environmental performance and continual improvement.