Nekoosa, Wis. – February 22, 2012 – Wisconsin Power and Light Company (WPL), an Alliant Energy company, is starting work on another Power Wisconsin Project to improve the performance, safety and reliability of its electric delivery system for residents and businesses in Nekoosa.
Alliant Energy crews will start work on a major rebuild project in the first part of March in the city. The work for the project will be concentrated in the area of South Section Street, Buehler Avenue and Point Basse Avenue, near the area of Market Street (State Highway 173). Crews will be rebuilding about 4 miles of electric lines and adding new poles. In all, this represents an investment of more than $500,000 by Alliant Energy.
“The lines we’ve got there now have served us well over the years but it’s time to upgrade them with new ones, said Nick Veverka, Manager of Customer Operations. “This project will help us provide the reliable electric service our customers have come to expect.”
Construction on the project will last through the summer. (In the final phase of this work, customers will experience a short outage as crews energize the new lines. However, crews are not expecting any other direct impacts to customers during the process.) Given the lengthy project timeframe, and the line clearance activity needed to accomplish the work, Alliant Energy is asking drivers in the area to slow down and look out for workers and equipment.
Alliant Energy’s 2012 Power Wisconsin Plan includes $50 million of planned investments this year in upgrading overhead and underground electric lines, electric substations and natural gas infrastructure. Power Wisconsin’s goal is to improve system reliability, reduce outages, and provide more reliable power to Alliant Energy’s Wisconsin customers.
Media Contact: Scott Reigstad, (608) 458-3145