Project overview
ATC is building interconnection facilities and performing network updates to connect the new Silver Maple Solar generating facility to the electric grid. The approximately 200-megawatt solar facility will be constructed in the towns of Eldorado and Rosendale in Fond du Lac County, and the town of Nekimi in Winnebago County.
This ATC project includes:
- Building a new 345,000-volt Eldorado Substation in the town of Eldorado (north of the village of Rosendale).
- Looping an existing 345-kV power line that runs from the Fitzgerald Substation to the South Fond du Lac Substation into the newly constructed Eldorado Substation.
- The installation of approximately 3.4 miles of underground fiber between the existing 138-kV power line and the newly constructed Eldorado Substation.
- Performing network upgrade work that includes rebuilding the existing 138-kV power line from the North Fond du Lac Substation to the Aviation Substation (both located in the city of Fond du Lac), and from the Aviation Substation to the Ellinwood Substation (located in the city of Oshkosh).
Need for the project
The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin approved the Certificate for Public Convenience and Necessity application for the Silver Maple Solar generating facility in March 2024. The Silver Maple Solar Interconnection Facilities Project is needed to reliably serve the new generator interconnection request for the Silver Maple Solar generating facility and allow for the generator to supply its full generator capacity to the electric grid.
The estimated cost of the Silver Maple Solar Interconnection Facilities Project is anticipated to be $92 million. Over the lifespan of the project, the cost is disseminated through electric rates to the five million customers located in ATC’s service area.
Additional information can be found on the PSCW website, under docket number 137-CE-208.
