Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois begins construction on Mark Twain Transmission Project
Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois (ATXI) announced Wednesday that it began construction on the Mark Twain Transmission Project, a 96-mile, 345,000-volt transmission line and substation being built in northeast Missouri.
ATXI broke ground last week on the site of the Zachary Substation in Adair County, Missouri adjacent to the existing Adair Substation.
The route will run through Adair, Knox, Lewis, Marion, and Schuyler counties in Missouri. Nearly all of the transmission line will be co-located on existing rights of way, including Northeast Missouri Electric Power Cooperative’s 161,000-volt line between Palmyra and Kirksville and Ameren Missouri’s 161,000-volt line from Kirksville to the Iowa border.
ATXI will invest approximately $250 million in the project.
“After two years of listening to and collaborating with local communities, we’re delighted to begin construction on the Mark Twain Transmission Project,” Shawn Schukar, chairman and president of ATXI, said. “When it’s complete, the project will provide multiple benefits to the people of northeast Missouri and the greater region. These project benefits include economic growth, increased tax revenue, greater energy reliability and improved access to renewable energy sources, such as wind.”
L. Keeley Construction, the contractor for the project, will begin this month to build access points from public roadways along the transmission corridor. Once L. Keely establishes access points, it will start digging and pouring concrete structure foundations.
“With any construction project, our goal is to complete the work as safely and as quickly as possible,” Chuck Twellmann, ATXI construction supervisor, said. “As construction moves forward, we’ll continue to work closely with landowners and community members to ensure the building and property-restoration process flows smoothly.”
The anticipated in-service date for the Mark Twain Transmission Project is December 2019. The Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) granted ATXI a certificate of convenience and necessity (CCN) for the project in January 2018.
