 Ameren Corp., which supplies both natural gas and electricity
services in Illinois and Missouri, is creating a new subsidiary to
manage the projects, which include running high-voltage transmission
lines across the state and linking together existing power plants.
Ameren filed a petition with the federal government for approval on
an initial portfolio of proposed construction, dubbed the Grand
Rivers projects, that could bring in an estimated $1.3 billion in
investment.
The petition asks the federal regulatory commission to determine
how Midwest utilities consumers would divide the costs of the
construction projects. The corporation expects a response in 60
days.
Tom Voss, president and CEO of Ameren, said expanding
transmission efforts would help spur development and keep prices
competitive for utilities consumers.
"New transmission would also open up new markets for our
procurement of electricity for Illinois customers. So we think that
it'll make the markets more competitive, so it should eventually
help with keeping costs under control," he said.
State Rep. Frank Mautino, D-Spring Valley, was cautiously
optimistic about the idea of constructing high-voltage lines to
buttress the state's energy grid.
"From what we hear from industry, chambers of commerce, the
(Illinois) Manufacturers' Association, is that there is a deficit of
power. We haven't really built any new generation, and so the
ability to strengthen the grid has been a goal of theirs," he said.
One of the projects in the portfolio includes running
transmission lines through the Grand Tower Power Plant in southern
Illinois.
Maureen Borkowski, the new president and CEO of the Ameren
subsidiary that will oversee the transmission projects, said the
project will provide energy support to the region.
"One of the transmissions projects is a big 'X' with Grand Tower
at the middle of that 'X,'" Borkowski said. "The purpose for that
project, primarily, is due to congestion relief as well as
(improving) local area reliability."
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Borkowski also mentioned a large-scale proposal that would run
transmission lines from Missouri to Indiana, through Quincy, Ill.,
and could potentially link energy sources throughout the state.
"That transmission project has a multitude of different benefits
including reliability, wind integration, congestion relief. And that
also happens to be on the path of the two clean-coal technology
plants, the Taylorville Energy Center and FutureGen (near Mattoon)
that are being proposed in that region," she said.
Neither clean-coal plant is running yet.
Borkowski said that if the federal government accepts the
portfolio of projects, then Ameren would have to seek further
approval on the portfolio from the Midwestern Transmission
Independent Service Operators, a regional nonprofit energy
organization, and the state of Illinois.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By KEVIN LEE]
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