One year after the 220-mile Arrowhead-Weston transmission line from Wausau, Wis. to Duluth, Minn. was completed and energized, American Transmission Co. has issued a report outlining the reliability, environmental and economic benefits of the line to communities and electricity users in Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest.

The 345-kV Arrowhead-Weston transmission line:

• strengthens electric system reliability by bringing 600 megawatts of electricity into northern and central Wisconsin,
• provides alternate source of power for the region increasing transfer capability and stability to the electric system,
• allows utilities greater participation in the regional energy market,
• gives green energy greater access to consumer markets,
• is more efficient and reduces energy losses over the 40-year life of the line:
• saving 5.7 million megawatt hours of electricity – enough to power to 13,000 homes each year,
• eliminating more than 5.3 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions from power plants that do not have to run,
• provides $62 million in direct payments to the communities through which the line passes over the 40-year life of the line.

Construction of the line was completed ahead of schedule allowing ATC to energize the line four months early in January 2008. All costs have been finalized, and ATC closed its books on the project notifying the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin that the final cost was $436 million, within the 5 percent allowable contingency set by the PSCW.

“Arrowhead-Weston has met all the reliability needs that provoked its justification and approval during the permitting process,” said José Delgado, ATC president and chief executive officer. “In addition, it provides very significant environmental and economic benefits to the area we serve. It provides an outstanding value to the consumers in our service area.”

Arrowhead-Weston is the largest construction project that ATC has completed in its eight-year history. ATC has invested more than $2 billion to build, upgrade and energize more than 1,700 miles of transmission line to help improve the reliability of the grid in the Upper Midwest. In addition to reliability benefits, a more efficient high-voltage transmission system has contributed to energy savings and avoided carbon emissions. The more robust system has helped reduce electrical demand at peak times equivalent to that of a 125-megawatt generating plant. Over the life span of a more efficient transmission system, 15 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions from a generating plant are avoided.