The proposed route for a major transmission line project was recently approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission.
Construction is set to begin later this year on 380 miles of new and upgraded high voltage transmission lines across 13 counties in the mid-section of Illinois, Ameren Illinois reported on Aug. 5.
The Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity issued by the ICC provides route approval and the go-ahead to begin construction this year.
The $1.6 billion project will stretch from the Iowa border across the counties of Adams, Brown, Champaign, Ford, Fulton, Hancock, Iroquois, McDonough, McLean, Morgan, Peoria, Pike and Tazewell.
When completed in 2029, “the project will support lower supply costs by opening new pathways of energy for delivery to millions of residential and business customers in the Ameren Illinois service territory,” the company said.
New and upgraded transmission lines, three new substations, and enhancements to several substations will be rebuilt along existing corridors and co-located with existing Ameren Illinois infrastructure, minimizing the project footprint and private land usage.
