ST. LOUIS, Feb. 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ameren
Transmission Company of Illinois
(ATXI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Ameren Corporation (NYSE:
AEE), has completed and energized the Spoon River Transmission
Project, a 44-mile, 345,000-volt transmission line spanning between
Galesburg and Peoria in Illinois.
The Spoon River Transmission Project will provide local and
regional benefits, including improved energy-grid reliability,
increased transmission capacity and greater access to lower-cost
energy, including renewable sources such as wind. The project helps
support the State of Illinois'
Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard, which targets 25 percent of
Illinois' energy generation to
come from renewable sources by 2025-2026.
"We are grateful for the feedback and cooperation we received
from landowners, communities and the Illinois Commerce Commission,"
said Shawn E. Schukar, chairman and
president of ATXI. "This kind of collaboration, combined with the
strong relationship we have with our contract partners, allowed us
to successfully complete the project so we can deliver the benefits
of the Spoon River project for generations to come."
The $130 million project, which
included construction of two new substations, was completed under
budget and nine months ahead of schedule due to efficient project
execution that included the use of helicopters to install the
transmission line. Helicopters increase the efficiency of
construction when compared to conventional methods, and they also
lower the environmental impact to farmland because fewer pieces of
heavy equipment are required on the transmission rights of way.
"The speed and efficiency with which this line was developed can
be attributed to the ongoing collaboration we had with community
members," Schukar said. "Because of this input and support, our
contract partners were able to quickly move forward on key
construction phases, meet crucial deadlines and now energize this
important infrastructure project that bolsters the energy
grid."
The Spoon River Transmission Project was approved in 2011 by the
Midcontinent Independent Systems Operator (MISO), a regional
transmission organization. The Spoon River project is part of a
coordinated, multi-state group of transmission projects – known as
Multi-Value Projects – being developed by MISO to improve and
strengthen the regional energy grid. This is the first of three
ATXI Multi-Value Projects to be completed; two other ATXI
Multi-Value Projects are currently underway in Missouri and Illinois.
About Ameren Corporation
St. Louis-based Ameren
Corporation powers the quality of life for 2.4 million electric
customers and more than 900,000 natural gas customers in a
64,000-square-mile area through its Ameren Missouri and Ameren
Illinois rate-regulated utility subsidiaries. Ameren Illinois
provides electric distribution and transmission service, as well as
natural gas distribution service, while Ameren Missouri provides
vertically integrated electric service, with generating capacity of
over 10,200 megawatts, and natural gas distribution service. Ameren
Transmission Company of Illinois
(ATXI) is a subsidiary of Ameren Corporation and develops regional
electric transmission projects. For more information, visit
Ameren.com, or follow us at @AmerenCorp, Facebook.com/AmerenCorp,
or LinkedIn/company/Ameren.
View original
content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/spoon-river-transmission-project-completed-and-energized-300602632.html
SOURCE Ameren Corporation