ST. LOUIS, May 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ameren
Transmission Company of Illinois
(ATXI) – a wholly owned subsidiary of Ameren Corporation (NYSE:
AEE) – has begun construction of the Mark Twain Transmission
Project, a 96-mile, 345,000-volt transmission line and substation
to be built in northeast Missouri
that will bolster energy reliability for the region.
Last week ATXI broke ground on the site of the Zachary
Substation adjacent to the existing Adair Substation in
Adair County, Missouri. The new
substation will transform high-voltage electricity from the
transmission system to lower-voltage electricity, which it supplies
to homes and businesses through distribution lines.
"After two years of listening to and collaborating with local
communities, we're delighted to begin construction on the Mark
Twain Transmission Project," said Shawn
Schukar, chairman and president of ATXI. "When it's
complete, the project will provide multiple benefits to the people
of northeast Missouri and the
greater region. These project benefits include economic growth,
increased tax revenue, greater energy reliability and improved
access to renewable energy sources, such as wind."
Later this month ATXI's contractor, L. Keeley Construction, will
begin to build various access points along the transmission
corridor from nearby public roadways. Contractors will use these
points to access the right of way throughout project construction.
Once access points are created, L. Keeley will begin digging and
pouring concrete structure foundations.
"With any construction project, our goal is to complete the work
as safely and as quickly as possible," said Chuck Twellmann, ATXI construction supervisor.
"As construction moves forward, we'll continue to work closely with
landowners and community members to ensure the building and
property-restoration process flows smoothly."
The route will run through Adair, Knox,
Lewis, Marion and Schuyler counties in Missouri. Nearly 100 percent of the
transmission line will be co-located on existing rights of way that
include Northeast Missouri Electric Power Cooperative's
161,000-volt line between Palmyra
and Kirksville and Ameren
Missouri's 161,000-volt line from Kirksville to the Iowa border.
In January 2018, the Missouri
Public Service Commission (PSC) granted ATXI a certificate of
convenience and necessity (CCN) for the project, which will
complete a critical link in the region's energy
infrastructure.
ATXI expects to invest $250
million in the Mark Twain Transmission Project. The
anticipated in-service date is December
2019.
Visit www.MarkTwainTransmission.com for additional
information.
About Ameren Corporation
St.
Louis-based Ameren Corporation powers the quality of life
for 2.4 million electric customers and more than 900,000 natural
gas customers in a 64,000-square-mile area through its Ameren
Missouri and Ameren Illinois rate-regulated utility subsidiaries.
Ameren Illinois provides electric distribution and transmission
service, as well as natural gas distribution service, while Ameren
Missouri provides vertically integrated electric service, with
generating capacity of nearly 10,300 megawatts, and natural gas
distribution service. Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois develops regional electric
transmission projects. For more information, visit Ameren.com, or
follow us on Twitter at @AmerenCorp, Facebook.com/AmerenCorp, or
LinkedIn.com/company/Ameren.
Forward-looking Statements
Statements in this release
not based on historical facts are considered "forward-looking" and,
accordingly, involve risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual results to differ materially from those discussed. Although
such forward-looking statements have been made in good faith and
are based on reasonable assumptions, there is no assurance that the
expected results will be achieved. These statements include
(without limitation) statements as to future expectations, beliefs,
plans, strategies, objectives, events, conditions, and financial
performance. In connection with the "safe harbor" provisions of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, we are providing
this cautionary statement to identify important factors that could
cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated.
The following factors, in addition to those discussed under Risk
Factors in Ameren Corporation's Annual Report on Form 10-K and
elsewhere in this release and in our other filings with the SEC,
could cause actual results to differ materially from management
expectations suggested in such forward-looking statements:
- regulatory, judicial, or legislative actions, including any
changes in regulatory policies and ratemaking determinations, such
as those that may result from the complaint case filed in
February 2015 with the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC) seeking a reduction in the allowed
base return on common equity under the Midwest Independent System
Operator (MISO) tariff, and future regulatory, judicial, or
legislative actions that change regulatory recovery mechanisms and
the resulting impacts on our results of operations, financial
position, and liquidity;
- the effects of changes in federal, state, or local laws and
other governmental actions, including monetary, fiscal, and energy
policies;
- disruptions of the capital markets, deterioration in credit
metrics of the Ameren companies, including as a result of the
implementation of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, or other
events that may have an adverse effect on the cost or availability
of capital, including short-term credit and liquidity;
- the actions of credit rating agencies and the effects of such
actions;
- the construction, installation, performance, and cost recovery
of transmission assets;
- the effects of strategic initiatives, including mergers,
acquisitions, and divestitures;
- the impact of negative opinions of us or our utility services
that our customers, legislators, or regulators may have or develop,
which could result from a variety of factors, including failures in
system reliability, failure to implement our investment plans or
protect sensitive customer information, increases in rates, or
negative media coverage;
- labor disputes, work force reductions, future wage and employee
benefits costs, including changes in discount rates, mortality
tables, and returns on benefit plan assets;
- the inability of our counterparties to meet their obligations
with respect to contracts, credit agreements, and financial
instruments;
- legal and administrative proceedings;
- the impact of cyber-attacks, which could, among other things,
result in the loss of operational control of energy centers and
electric and natural gas transmission and distribution systems
and/or the loss of data, such as customer, employee, financial, and
operating system information; and
- acts of sabotage, war, terrorism, or other intentionally
disruptive acts.
New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for
management to predict all of such factors, nor can it assess the
impact of each such factor on the business or the extent to which
any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to
differ materially from those contained or implied in any
forward-looking statement. Given these uncertainties, undue
reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements.
Except to the extent required by the federal securities laws, we
undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any
forward-looking statements to reflect new information or future
events.
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SOURCE Ameren Corporation