ATCO Energizes the Longest Transmission Line in Alberta's History

EDMONTON, ALBERTA--(Marketwired - Dec. 16, 2015) - ATCO Electric announced today the completion of the longest transmission line in Alberta's history. The Eastern Alberta Transmission Line (EATL) is a critical component of Alberta's electrical transmission backbone and will play a key role in bringing renewable energy to Albertans across the province.

"Today we celebrate the completion of a generational investment for Albertans, by an Alberta-grown company," said Sett Policicchio, President, ATCO Electric. "This transmission line will reinforce our electrical grid for decades."

Albertans will save thanks to the efficiency of the new direct current transmission line. By reducing the amount of electricity lost during transmission, EATL reduces the amount of power generation required, saving money as well as thousands of tons of future greenhouse gas emissions.

ATCO's EATL will also play an important role in the Government of Alberta's recently released Climate Leadership Plan. The new line provides essential new infrastructure required to move renewable energy - generated by wind and solar power - from where it is produced, to where it is needed.

The new line is already working hard for Albertans. Immediately following final testing and commissioning, EATL was able to assist the Alberta Electric Service Operator (AESO) in alleviating grid congestion, by moving 300 megawatts of electricity from southern Alberta to the capital region.

The nearly 500-km, 500-kilovolt line connects Brooks in the southeast, to the Gibbons-Redwater area northeast of Edmonton. The project took three years to complete, aided by the cooperation and support of Albertans who live along the line. In total, ATCO obtained more than 6,000 environmental review permits, crossing permits and other permissions while conducting 14 open houses and hosting 8,300 consultations with Albertans.

"I want to thank all of the residents who live near the line for their cooperation and patience during the consultation and construction of this project," added Mr. Policicchio. "This was the largest undertaking in our company's history and we could not have achieved this success without the cooperation of Albertans."

ATCO Electric provides safe, reliable delivery of electricity to nearly 224,000 customers in 245 communities across Alberta and is part of the ATCO Group of Companies. With nearly 9,000 employees and assets of approximately $19 billion, ATCO is a diversified global corporation delivering service excellence and innovative business solutions through vertically integrated global business units engaged in Structures & Logistics (workforce housing, innovative modular facilities, construction, site support services, logistics and operations management); Pipelines & Liquids (natural gas infrastructure development, transmission and distribution; liquids and water infrastructure development, storage and processing); and Electricity (power generation, distributed generation; electricity infrastructure development and transmission). More information can be found at www.atco.com.