ITC Midwest, ATC and Dairyland Power Cooperative on Sept. 27 said they have completed the western half of the Cardinal-Hickory Creek Transmission Line Project, allowing the entire 102-mile line to be placed in service on Sept. 26, 2024.
ITC Midwest, ATC and Dairyland Power Cooperative are co-owners of the project.
The new 345-kV Cardinal-Hickory Creek transmission line “is now providing a vital pathway to help ensure the lower-cost, renewable energy that consumers are seeking is available and affordable by increasing capacity and reducing congestion on the transmission grid,” a news release said. “In addition, the new line is improving the reliability and flexibility of the region’s transmission system, and providing other economic and public policy benefits.”
As of June 2024, there were 160 renewable generation projects in Wisconsin, Iowa and other Upper Midwestern states representing more than 24.5 gigawatts dependent upon completion of the Cardinal-Hickory Creek line, the project co-owners said.
The western segment of the line, built and operated by ITC Midwest, runs from ITC Midwest’s Hickory Creek Substation near New Vienna, Iowa, to ATC’s new Hill Valley Substation near Montfort, Wisconsin. The eastern segment, built and operated by ATC, connects the Hill Valley Substation to the Cardinal Substation near Middleton, Wisconsin, and became operational in December 2023.
The majority of the Cardinal-Hickory Creek transmission line in Wisconsin – more than 95 percent – was co-located with existing infrastructure rights-of-way like roads, railroads and transmission lines.
Project background
The Cardinal-Hickory Creek Transmission Line Project was approved in 2011 as part of a set of Multi-Value Projects (MVPs) by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, the independent, not-for-profit regional transmission grid planning agency and transmission system.
As an MVP, the project is designed to improve transmission system reliability and provide a wide range of benefits, including relieving congestion on the transmission system to reduce energy costs and providing greater access to lower-cost renewable generation sources.
The project was approved by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin in September 2019, and by the Iowa Utilities Commission in May 2020.
