ledyard-colby your lines. your lights. your...
TRANSCRIPT
your community.your lines. your lights.
SECOND QuartEr 2014
877.ITC.ITC9 (877.482.4829)www.itctransco.com
123 Fifth Street SE Cedar rapids, Iowa 52401
6750 Chavenelle roadDubuque, Iowa 52002
Welcome to this first newsletter provided for you, our neighbors, along the route of the proposed Ledyard-Colby
345,000 volt (345 kV) electric transmission line. This will be the first of several newsletters we will send over the
coming months as ITC works to build this important energy connection. We hope these newsletters give you timely
updates on our activities and answer questions you may have about the project.
The Ledyard-Colby project is an important component to improving energy
reliability in our region. This 55-mile line will provide a critical link to help
improve electric reliability, reduce transmission congestion and help new
sources of generation connect to the regional transmission system. One of
the articles inside this newsletter explains where this project fits into a group
of Multi-Value Projects that ITC and MidAmerican Energy Co. are planning to
build in Iowa and Minnesota.
We are grateful for the support many of you have shown so far in this process
with your willingness to sign an easement to allow for line construction.
Representatives from JCG Land will continue to meet with you and your
neighbors and are making good progress securing the needed easements.
Thank you for your gracious response to our team.
Whenever I meet with landowners, I stress ITC’s commitment to treating them with respect. It is my expectation
that in all your dealings with our company you are treated honestly and respectfully, from the initial landowner
meetings, throughout the line design, construction and clean-up process, and certainly continuing through its
ongoing operations. If that is not your experience, please let me know. I value the contribution you are making
to this important project and want to make sure it is a good experience for you throughout the process. We are
grateful for your contribution to this effort and look forward to working closely with you in the months ahead. n
Dear Neighbors,
Sincerely,
Doug CollinsPresident, ITC Midwest
Return Service Requested123 Fifth Street SE Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
your community.your community.your lines. your lights. your lines. your lights.
345 kVLedyard-Colby TransmIssIon L Ine ProjeCT
About ITC Midwest ITC Midwest is the Cedar Rapids-based subsidiary of ITC Holdings
Corp., the nation’s only fully independent electric transmission
company. ITC Midwest acquired the electric transmission system
from Alliant Energy’s Interstate Power and Light Co. subsidiary in
December 2007. Since that time, the company has been active
in the region, building needed electric transmission lines and
improving existing lines. Since its formation, ITC Midwest has
invested nearly $1.5 billion in the electric transmission system in
Iowa and Minnesota. Part of that investment was the 81-mile, 345
kV Salem-Hazleton line that ITC Midwest built across Buchanan,
Delaware, Dubuque and Jackson
Counties, from the Hazleton
substation to the company’s Salem
substation south of Dubuque.
ITC employs more than 90 people
in Iowa and Minnesota, and
maintains operating facilities at
Dubuque, Iowa City, and Perry,
Iowa, and Albert Lea and Lakefield,
Minnesota. n
Did you know?There are nearly 65,000 miles of electric transmission lines across the country that are roughly the same voltage as the proposed Ledyard-Colby project. That’s enough line to circle the earth about two and one half-times at the equator.
ITC Midwest currently operates more than 450 miles of transmission lines of this size. That is roughly equal to one and one half the width of the state of Iowa.
Give us a callIf you have any questions about the plans for the Ledyard-Colby line, please give us a call. You can contact ITC toll-free at 1-877-482-4829.
345 kVLedyard-Colby TransmIssIon L Ine ProjeCT
SECOND QuartEr 2014
The Ledyard-Colby project is part of nearly 400 miles of 345 kV transmission lines proposed by ITC and MidAmerican
Energy Co. in north central Iowa and southwestern Minnesota to improve reliability, enable wind energy connections,
and meet the region’s growing energy needs.
The proposed lines resulted from extensive analysis of the region’s energy needs by the
regional independent transmission planning organization, the Midcontinent
Independent System Operator or MISO. The final proposal was defined
in MISO’s multi-year Multi-Value Project (MVP) study, conducted with
substantial input from utilities, electric generation developers and state
utility commissions.
In proposing the projects, MISO set out to accomplish several
objectives, including:
• Improve the operations and efficiency of the regional
energy markets;
• Provide access to low-cost generation;
• Reduce the need for utilities to build future generation to meet
their reserve requirements;
• Reduce energy wasted because of constraints, inefficiency and line
losses on the system;
• Allow for the optimal use of wind energy resources, and;
• Provide options for future energy solutions.
The resulting 17 MVPs provide real and tangible benefits under several different future
economic and regulatory scenarios. MISO approved the group of projects in December
2011 and authorized transmission owners like ITC and MidAmerican Energy to begin the
activities (such as routing, designing and seeking regulatory approvals) to build the lines to
meet the objectives that MISO established.
The Ledyard-Colby project will connect ITC’s proposed Ledyard substation in Kossuth
County to the company’s proposed Colby substation northwest of Mason City, Iowa.
The project is part of MVP 4, which continues on from the Colby substation south and
east to ITC’s existing Hazleton substation in Buchanan County. MidAmerican Energy
will be responsible for roughly 80 miles of MVP 4 and ITC will be responsible for
approximately 110 miles of MVP 4, including the Ledyard-Colby line. n
Ledyard-Colby Line Part of MVPs in Iowa
Delivering Reliable Energy and Economic GrowthEnergy is critical to Iowa’s economic health. ITC supports Iowa’s economic growth by investing in electricity transmission infrastructure. The company’s investments in the transmission system improve electric reliability and reduce energy congestion and system losses. A robust transmission system gives local utility companies access to a wider variety of generation sources, so those utilities can provide customers with electricity from the most cost-effective sources. That is critical for Iowa companies working in competitive environments. n
Transmission lines:
• Deliver a dependable supply of energy that benefits everyone.
• Improve the ability of local utility companies to access a wider variety of electrical sources, improving electric service and allowing local utilities to provide customers with electricity from the most cost-effective generation sources.
• Deliver the dependable and cost-effective electricity that an industry or business needs to be competitive, allowing existing businesses to expand and helping to attract new businesses to the state.
• Enable wind developers to build generation in Iowa and deliver their clean and renewable product to the citizens demanding it.
Regulatory Process Sets Requirements for Ledyard-Colby LineITC Midwest can only proceed with building the Ledyard-Colby electric transmission line after it has received permission from the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB), the Iowa state agency responsible for regulating electric, natural gas and telecommunications utilities in the state. The process requires transmission owners like ITC to obtain a permit, called an electric franchise, from the IUB.
ITC initiated the Ledyard-Colby electric franchise process with the IUB public meetings in Kensett, Thompson and Lakota in August 2013. Following those meetings, representatives from JCG Land began meeting with landowners to negotiate voluntary easements. Given initial and ongoing positive response from landowners, ITC on March 31, 2014, made its franchise applications with the IUB for the line.
The IUB staff is currently reviewing the applications on a number of factors, including need, alignment with electric utility
planning, and adherence to the IUB rules. Once the IUB has concluded its review, it may hold a hearing to decide whether or not to issue the franchises to allow the line to be constructed. As the easement agreements specify, ITC will distribute payments for landowner easements once regulatory approvals have been received. Based on the current regulatory schedule, ITC anticipates an IUB decision on the franchises by 2015. The company has proposed beginning line construction in 2016 with completion in early 2018. n
345 kVLedyard-Colby TransmIssIon L Ine ProjeCT
Proposed ITC Midwest Line Project
Proposed MEC Line Project
Proposed ITC Substation Project
Proposed MEC Substation Project
Adair
Allamakee
Audubon
Benton
Black Hawk
Boone
Bremer
Buchanan
Buena VistaButler
Calhoun
Carroll
Cass
Cedar
Cerro Gordo
Cherokee
ChickasawClay
Clayton
Clinton
Crawford
Dallas
Delaware
DickinsonEmmet
Fayette
Floyd
Franklin
Greene
Grundy
Guthrie
Hamilton
Hancock
Hardin
Harrison
Howard
Humboldt
Ida
Iowa
Jackson
JasperJohnson
Jones
Keokuk
Kossuth
Linn
Louisa
Lyon
Madison MahaskaMarion
Marshall
Mitchell
Monona
Muscatine
O'Brien Palo Alto
Plymouth Pocahontas
Polk
Pottawattamie
PoweshiekScott
Shelby
Sioux
Story Tama
Warren Washington
Webster
Winnebago
Woodbury
Worth
Wright
Adams
Buffalo
Clark
Crawford
Dane
Dunn
Eau Claire
GrantGreen
Iowa
Jackson
Juneau
La Crosse
Lafayette
Marathon
Monroe
Pepin
Pierce
Portage
Richland
Sauk
Trempealeau
Vernon
Wood
Blue Earth
Brown
Carver
Chippewa
Cottonwood
Dakota
Dodge
FaribaultFillmoreFreeborn
Goodhue
Houston
Jackson
Lac Qui Parle
Le SueurLincoln Lyon
Martin
McLeod
Mower
Murray
Nicollet
Nobles
OlmstedPipestone
Redwood
Renville
Rice
Rock
ScottSibley
Steele
Wabasha
WasecaWatonwan Winona
Yellow Medicine
Carroll
Henry
JoDaviess
Mercer
Rock Island
Stark
Stephenson
Whiteside
Adams
Appanoose
Clarke
DavisDecatur
Des Moines
Fremont
HenryJefferson
Lee
LucasMills MonroeMontgomery
Page RinggoldTaylor
Union
Van Buren
Wapello
Wayne
Sac
Dubuque
WinneshiekOsceola
Proposed ITC Midwest Line Project
Proposed MEC Line Project
Proposed ITC Substation Project
Proposed MEC Substation Project
Adair
Allamakee
Audubon
Benton
Black Hawk
Boone
Bremer
Buchanan
Buena VistaButler
Calhoun
Carroll
Cass
Cedar
Cerro Gordo
Cherokee
ChickasawClay
Clayton
Clinton
Crawford
Dallas
Delaware
DickinsonEmmet
Fayette
Floyd
Franklin
Greene
Grundy
Guthrie
Hamilton
Hancock
Hardin
Harrison
Howard
Humboldt
Ida
Iowa
Jackson
JasperJohnson
Jones
Keokuk
Kossuth
Linn
Louisa
Lyon
Madison MahaskaMarion
Marshall
Mitchell
Monona
Muscatine
O'Brien Palo Alto
Plymouth Pocahontas
Polk
Pottawattamie
PoweshiekScott
Shelby
Sioux
Story Tama
Warren Washington
Webster
Winnebago
Woodbury
Worth
Wright
Adams
Buffalo
Clark
Crawford
Dane
Dunn
Eau Claire
GrantGreen
Iowa
Jackson
Juneau
La Crosse
Lafayette
Marathon
Monroe
Pepin
Pierce
Portage
Richland
Sauk
Trempealeau
Vernon
Wood
Blue Earth
Brown
Carver
Chippewa
Cottonwood
Dakota
Dodge
FaribaultFillmore
Freeborn
Goodhue
Houston
Jackson
Lac Qui Parle
Le SueurLincoln Lyon
Martin
McLeod
Mower
Murray
Nicollet
Nobles
OlmstedPipestone
Redwood
Renville
Rice
Rock
ScottSibley
Steele
Wabasha
WasecaWatonwan Winona
Yellow Medicine
Carroll
Henry
JoDaviess
Mercer
Rock Island
Stark
Stephenson
Whiteside
Adams
Appanoose
Clarke
DavisDecatur
Des Moines
Fremont
HenryJefferson
Lee
LucasMills MonroeMontgomery
Page RinggoldTaylor
Union
Van Buren
Wapello
Wayne
Sac
Dubuque
WinneshiekOsceola
Black Hawk
Hazleton
KilldeerColby
Ledyard
HuntleyLakefield Jct.
KossuthCounty
Iowa Utilities Board Approves Colby-Killdeer LineOn May 1, the Iowa Utilities Board issued its order approving ITC’s franchise for a 345 kV transmission line connecting ITC’s proposed Killdeer substation with the company’s proposed Colby substation, where the line will interconnect with the Ledyard to Colby line segment. The Colby-Killdeer line is also designated as part of MVP 4 by MISO. ITC is planning to begin construction of the Colby-Killdeer project in September of this year, with completion in early 2015.