U.S. Department Of Energy Selects American Transmission Co. Applications For Smart Grid Grants

Pewaukee, WI - The U.S. Department of Energy notified American Transmission Co. announced recently that two ATC applications for smart grid investment grants totaling $12.7M were selected for award negotiations. The grants to ATC are among 100 being made nationwide – totaling $3.4B – by the DOE to advance smart grid technologies.

One of ATC's applications was for $1.3M in funding to extend its use of phasor measurement units – a new technology for monitoring the status of the grid in real time. Earlier this year, ATC installed a limited number of the PMU devices on its system and evaluated their performance. The PMUs are considered one of the most important measuring devices of the future of power systems because they provide a wider, more integrated and time synchronized view of the system as a whole.

A second ATC application for $11.4M was for funding to extend its use of fiber optics to improve communications between its electric substations and its system operations centers. ATC already has installed optical ground wire fiber on a number of its recent transmission construction projects. More widespread use of OPGW will provide ATC with a more secure and reliable data network infrastructure. The OPGW also provides a means to transmit information from the PMUs back to the operations centers.

"We are pleased that these two project applications were selected," said John Procario, ATC president and chief executive officer. "The grants give us a means to proceed with these new technologies to improve our ability to monitor the grid and enhance the reliability of our infrastructure needed to help keep the lights on."

SOURCE: ATC