The foundation and line construction crews are moving their teams to start building the line section between Palmyra and Kirksville which will be completed later this year. When complete, the project is expected to provide local and regional benefits, including improved energy-grid reliability, increased transmission capacity and greater access to renewable sources such as wind.
"We are grateful for the feedback and cooperation we received from landowners, communities and local officials," said Shawn E. Schukar, chairman and president of ATXI. "This kind of collaboration, combined with the strong relationship we have with our contract partners, allowed us to successfully achieve this project milestone and is a significant step toward delivering greater energy reliability and improved access to clean energy sources for the people in northeast Missouri."
ATXI expects to invest $250 million on the Mark Twain Transmission Project. The anticipated in-service date for the 96-mile line is December 2019.
The Mark Twain Transmission Project was approved in 2011 by the Midcontinent Independent Systems Operator (MISO), a regional transmission organization. The Mark Twain Transmission Project is part of a coordinated, multi-state group of transmission projects – known as Multi-Value Projects – being developed by MISO to improve and strengthen the regional energy grid. There are three Multi-Value Projects in ATXI's project portfolio. The first ATXI Multi-Value Project was completed in February 2018.