Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois (ATXI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Ameren Corp., has received regulatory approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to continue to move its Spoon River and Mark Twain transmission construction projects forward. FERC approved similar regulatory treatment for the Illinois Rivers transmission project in May 2011.
The three projects are part of the $1.3 billion multi-value projects approved by the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator Inc. board in December 2011. According to Ameren, FERC's approved regulatory treatment includes enhanced cost-recovery mechanisms and protections for ATXI that support the investments and facilitate the financing of the projects.
"This approval paves the way for important new investment by Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois to deliver renewable energy in the Midwest, promote electric power reliability, lower costs for consumers by reducing transmission congestion and create jobs which are important to the economy," says Maureen Borkowski, president and CEO of ATXI.
The Spoon River project in Illinois, preliminarily estimated to cost $208 million, will include approximately 70 miles of new 345 kV transmission line from Oak Grove to Galesburg, continuing near Peoria.
The Mark Twain project, preliminarily estimated to cost $155 million, will include approximately 90 miles of new 345 kV transmission line from the Iowa border to Adair, Mo., on to Palmyra, Mo.
The Illinois Rivers project, preliminarily estimated to cost $1 billion, will include approximately 400 miles of new 345 kV transmission line, crossing the Mississippi River near Quincy, Ill., continuing east across Illinois to the Indiana border. ATXI has filed a petition with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) for a certificate to build the Illinois Rivers project. ATXI expects the ICC to issue a decision by mid-2013.
