ATC, ITC Midwest and Dairyland Power Cooperative: Response to PSCW incompleteness determination for Cardinal-Hickory Creek Project

Media contacts:
American Transmission Co.: Kaya Freiman, 877-506-6117, kfreiman@atcllc.com
ITC Midwest: Tom Petersen, 319-297-6793, tpetersen@itctransco.com 
Dairyland Power Cooperative: Katie Thomson, 608-787-1323, katie.thomson@dairylandpower.com OR Deb Mirasola, 608-787-1378, deb.mirasola@dairylandpower.com
 
Following statutory 30-day review window, PSCW seeks more information prior to deeming project application complete
MADISON, Wis. – American Transmission Co., ITC Midwest and Dairyland Power Cooperative on April 30, 2018, completed filing an application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) and for a Utility Permit with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources seeking approval to build an approximately 102- to 120-mile, 345-kilovolt transmission line from Dane County, Wisconsin, to Dubuque County, Iowa. The application can be found by visiting www.psc.wi.gov and entering Docket No. 5-CE-146.
 
“The PSCW has 30 days after an application is filed to determine if an application is complete and notify the applicant of the determination. Due to the size and scope of the project and the significant amount of information needed to evaluate the project, we anticipated that the application may be deemed incomplete after the initial 30-day review,” said ATC Regulatory Relations Manager Tom Malanowski. “This has happened previously with a number of large projects and we will continue to work with the PSCW and the WDNR to provide any information needed to deem the application complete and start what we expect to be a year-long review. This will include public and technical hearings and an Environmental Impact Statement.”
 
By law, the PSCW has 180 days to review the project once the application is deemed complete. The Commission chairperson can approve an additional 180 days to complete an extensive regulatory review process.
 
The CPCN filing contains hundreds of pages of detailed analysis of the project. Data indicates the project would:

  • Provide $23.5 million to $350.1 million in net economic benefits to Wisconsin electric consumers
  • Avoid the need to spend $87.2 million to $98.8 million on transmission line and asset renewal projects that would otherwise be needed if the project is not constructed
  • Increase the transfer capability of the electric system between Iowa and Wisconsin by approximately 1,300 megawatts, which would ease grid congestion, increase competition to help provide lower-cost power to Wisconsin and transfer additional low-cost wind energy into the state
  • Provide an outlet for approximately 25 gigawatts of wind resources in Iowa and areas west of Wisconsin and enable more than a dozen new wind facilities to fully interconnect to the electric system in areas west of Wisconsin                                                                                                                                                                          
 
“Dairyland’s cooperative members—and energy users across the region—depend on a reliable, safe transmission system to meet their needs every day,” said Ben Porath, Dairyland Vice President, Power Delivery. “Investing in a robust transmission system is necessary for regional reliability, particularly in light of how the sources of electricity generation are changing. Dairyland is committed to diversifying its generation portfolio with more renewable resources to benefit our electric cooperative members, and the ability to reliably transport that energy will be of great importance. This project also will support stable energy prices by reducing grid congestion.”
 
If the project is approved, the PSCW will select the final route and issue an order for it to be constructed. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources would then issue a utility permit for the project to be constructed.
 
“We appreciate the public’s active involvement over the past several years in helping us evaluate possible routes,” said ITC Midwest Local Government and Community Affairs Area Manager Angela Jordan.  “We are required to submit two routes to the PSCW. Approximately 95 percent of the 102-mile preferred route in Wisconsin follows existing utility and highway corridors, which would minimize environmental impacts by building the line near where infrastructure already exists.”
 
Project construction would begin in 2020 to meet an in-service date of 2023 if the project is approved. An interactive map of the preferred and alternate route options and additional project information is available at www.cardinal-hickorycreek.com.