Ameren Corporation, through its subsidiary Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois (ATXI), has commissioned the $267 million Mark Twain Transmission Project in Missouri in an effort to strengthen the energy reliability in the northeast region of the US state.

The Mark Twain Transmission Project comprises a 96-mile long, 345,000-volt transmission line and the Zachary substation in Adair County. The transmission line of the project runs from Palmyra to Kirksville in Missouri and stretches north to the Iowa border.

The Zachary substation will be used for transforming high-voltage electricity from the Mark Twain transmission system to lower-voltage electricity, which will be supplied to residences and businesses via distribution lines.

The project is also expected to improve the reliability of the energy grid, boost transmission capacity and offer better access to wind energy and other renewable sources.

Construction on the transmission project in Missouri began in May 2018. This was after the Mark Twain Transmission Project was given a certificate of convenience and necessity in January 2018 from the Missouri Public Service Commission.

The transmission project in Missouri was approved nearly nine years ago by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, (MISO), a regional transmission organization.

Shawn E. Schukar, chairman and president of ATXI said: “The speed and efficiency with which this line was developed and constructed can be attributed to the ongoing collaboration and strong communication efforts we had with landowners, community representatives and Northeast Missouri Electric Power Cooperative.

“Because of our focus on communication, our contract partners were able to quickly move forward on key construction phases, meet crucial deadlines and now energize this important infrastructure project that bolsters the energy grid.”

The Mark Twain Transmission Project is part of the Multi-Value Projects, which are being developed by transmission owners in MISO with an objective to improve and bolster the regional energy grid.

The Multi-Value Projects, which are a group of coordinated, multi-state group of transmission projects, include the Spoon River Project in Illinois, which was commissioned in February 2018, and the Illinois Rivers Project, which is expected to begin operations in December 2020.

  Ameren Corporation, Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois, Mark Twain Transmission Project, Missouri, Shawn E. Schukar, USA