PROJECT STATUS: Received verbal approval from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin in June 2026.
Project Overview
ATC plans to build a new power line from southern Lincoln County to central Marathon County. The project includes constructing a new single circuit power line and making modifications at five substations.
Project Description
- New power line construction – A new 115-kilovolt power line connecting the Pine Substation in the city of Merrill to the Hilltop Substation in the town of Stettin that is located just to the west of the city of Wausau.
- Route – An approximately 17.7-mile-long power line that will start at the southern edge of the city of Merrill and will go through the town of Pine River in Lincoln County and the towns of Texas and Stettin and the village of Maine in Marathon County.
- Substation modifications – The Pine Substation will be expanded, and upgrades will be made to the Gardner Park, Grandfather Falls, Hilltop, and Maine Substations.
Project Need
The new power line and the substation modifications are needed to improve electric grid reliability and relieve constraints on the current electric delivery system in the north central Wisconsin region. The project will address current and future energy needs, changes in energy generation and support local energy demand.
The project has received verbal approval by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin.
Additional information can be found on the PSCW website, under docket number 137-CE-216.
