Start 7: Arrowhead-Weston Transmission Project
Cost: $420 million

The Arrowhead-Weston transmission project is a 220-mi.-long power line between Duluth, Minn., and Wausau, Wis.

Additional power transmission capability is needed in Wisconsin because only four power lines come into the state, and power demand keeps on going up. According to a study issued in 2002 by the U.S. Department of Energy, Wisconsin's transmission system has one of the most congested interfaces in the country.

In contrast, nearby states reportedly have dozens of incoming power lines.

The Arrowhead-Weston transmission project started in Minnesota in the first quarter of this year and will run through mid-2008. About half the line will go on existing transmission corridor, and the rest along railroads, gas pipelines and highway corridors.

1,700 Steel Poles

The construction cycle begins with surveying and soil testing and moves into negotiating easements. Construction follows a typical pattern for the approximately 1,700 steel poles to be raised, though variations are expected.

Concrete is poured for the foundations, and steel is received in a staging area for partial assembly. The steel is moved to the transmission line site and erected by crane into poles 125 to 160 ft. tall.

About 55 million lbs. of steel is expected to erected for the project, said Ron Nichols of Waukesha, Wis.-based American Transmission Co., the owner.

The final stage is the stringing of wire, sometimes in double circuits.

Between 20 and 30 vehicle visits will be necessary for each tower - or 24,000 to 36,000 trips.

Since project start in Minnesota, 24 foundations were completed, Nichols said. Activity is expected to reach Wisconsin late in the fourth quarter of this year.

Cleanliness is to be maintained during the course of construction especially in agricultural areas. Boots and tires are selected to ensure pathogens are not transmitted among farms.

The Arrowhead-Weston transmission project is on the high end of the more than 100 individual projects being pursued by members of the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator Inc., a Carmel, Ind.-based organization of 28 transmission-owning firms and other energy companies in 15 Midwest states and Manitoba, Canada.

Midwest ISO's board in June 2003 approved a $1.3 billion plan, the Transmission Expansion Plan, to address improvements to the energy grid. Individual members fund their projects.

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