Ameren finishes 375-mile Illinois Rivers transmission line project
Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois (ATXI) this week put the finishing touches on a $1.4 billion, 375-mile transmission line project begun in 2011, the Illinois Rivers Project.
With the completion of the 345,000-volt transmission line, Ameren hopes to bring greater energy reliability, transmission capacity, and access to renewable energy — and lower cost — sources for a region stretching from Palmyra, Missouri to Sugar Creek, Indiana. The energy will benefit both households and businesses alike.
“Our country’s future energy security and sustainability depends on a strong transmission system to enable the transition from coal to renewable energy,” Shawn Schukar, chairman and president of ATXI, said. “The Illinois Rivers Project is an important component to help deliver clean, affordable, and reliable energy to communities across the Midwest and ensure the grid can accommodate ever-increasing renewable resources.”
The Illinois Rivers Project is ATXI’s third completed Multi-Value Project, a coordinated, multi-state group of transmission projects. It was approved in 2011 by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator Inc. (MISO). In recent years, other Multi-Value Projects pursued by ATXI include the Spoon River Project in Illinois and the Mark Twain Transmission Project in Missouri, which went into service in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
