Proposed power line would cut through Tosa; public meeting on tap

We Energies plans to build a new energy distribution substation and a two-mile transmission line in Wauwatosa.

A public meeting will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at City Hall, 7725 W. North Ave., at which people can learn about the route the proposed power line will follow, ask questions and express their opinions.

The demand for electricity in the Highway 45 corridor is projected to double during the next six to eight years. Existing facilities and equipment can't meet that level of service, so expansion is required, according to utility officials.

We Energies is working with American Transmission Co. to complete the project, which calls for the construction of a new substation adjacent to the existing substation at the power plant on Watertown Plank Road and 93rd Street. The transmission line will connect to the new substation to provide feeder service for the western portion of the county.

During the next year, ATC will narrow down the route options for the line. An application is expected to be filed with the state Public Service Commission in early 2012, so construction could begin in 2014.