Illinois Rivers transmission project receives final approval

The decision by the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) in February clears the way for the nearly 400-mile-long Illinois Rivers electric transmission project that will create jobs, facilitate the delivery of low-cost power and improve the reliability and efficiency of the electric power grid.

Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois (ATXI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ameren Corporation (NYSE: AEE), has received siting approval of final routes and substations from the ICC to build the estimated $1.1 billion Illinois Rivers transmission project. This is Ameren’s largest-ever transmission project and the longest single transmission line project in Illinois history.

The 345,000-volt transmission line, using steel poles with a single shaft, will run from Palmyra, Mo., crossing the Mississippi River at Quincy. It will then run east past Meredosia, Pawnee, Pana, Mt. Zion and Kansas, ending at Sugar Creek, Ind., with additional lines running from Meredosia to Ipava and between the Sidney and Rising substations near Champaign. Line construction is expected to commence later this year.

The project previously received approvals from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. (MISO), a regional transmission organization serving a 15-state region and the Canadian province of Manitoba.