PSC grants CPCN for ATC’s Western Feed transmission line to serve new large loads in Mount Pleasant

The Public Service Commission on April 10, 2025, approved American Transmission Company’s application for a certificate of public convenience and necessity to construct and operate the Western Feed transmission line in the village of Mount Pleasant (docket 137CE209).

Commissioner Hawkins, who led the discussion, said the project was needed to serve several new large loads under construction in southeastern Wisconsin and that modeling and staff verification demonstrated the existing transmission system could not reliably serve those loads. He summarized the project components as including multiple sets of new double-circuited 345 kV lines, new 345 kV substations, two statcoms, a capacitor bank and other upgrades, and said the preferred route with a total cost of about $625,200,000 was slightly less expensive than the alternate south route at about $626,200,000.

The commission’s review considered statutory requirements for CPCNs, including alternatives analysis, route impacts, need, engineering, safety, reliability and potential environmental effects. Commissioner Hawkins reviewed a decision matrix that framed 12 contested issues; two issues were uncontested. On issue 1 (need), he said staff and the applicant demonstrated that ATC has an obligation to serve the new loads and that the project resolves thermal and voltage issues that would otherwise occur. On issue 2, he said the project yields regional reliability benefits and that the inclusion of statcoms and capacitor banks was shown in modeling to be cost‑justified.

Route selection was a central portion of the discussion. Commissioners supported the preferred route overall and specifically selected segment 3B over 3A because 3B avoids a residential property and woodlands, even though it requires an additional road crossing. Commissioners noted the preferred route parallels existing rights-of-way to the greatest extent practicable.

The commission adopted a set of general and project‑specific conditions recommended by staff and the Department of Natural Resources designed to limit impacts to wetlands, waterways and other environmental resources. Commissioners also discussed several construction and reporting conditions: (1) line‑of‑sight communications remediation if property owners demonstrate impacts, (2) quarterly progress reports that include hiring and workforce reporting for Wisconsin residents, (3) competitive bid summaries for major work and equipment procurement, and (4) cost-reporting provisions to improve visibility into contingency and contingency‑driven cost changes. One commissioner raised concern that separate cost-reporting conditions could duplicate language already adopted in standard conditions and recommended consolidating reporting requirements; other commissioners supported a project-specific contingency reporting condition to increase early visibility.

The commission concluded the project would not have undue adverse impacts under the environmental statute review and found the record complied with the Wisconsin Environmental Policy Act process. After discussion, a motion to grant the CPCN with the agreed modifications and conditions carried on voice vote; the chair recorded the action as approval.