Alliant Energy has completed another Power Wisconsin Project. The project involved rebuilding the Hickory Street Substation, which will significantly improve the reliability of electric service for residents and businesses in the City of Fond du Lac. The Hickory Street Substation is located near the intersection of South Hickory Street and Western Avenue, just south of the Fond du Lac River. Alliant Energy completely rebuilt the substation with new switchgear, circuits and transformer to allow it to accommodate a higher electric load. The Hickory Street Substation rebuild was needed because of the advanced age of the equipment. The new equipment will boost the capacity, increase reliability and add to the useful life of the substation. The company’s total investment in the substation rebuild was over $2.1 million. “The Hickory Street Substation has performed well for many years but it was reaching the end of its useful life and needed an upgrade to meet the electric load in the area,” said Greg Ardrey, Alliant Energy’s Manager of Project Management – Substations. “Now that we have completed modernizing the substation, we expect it to better serve customers in Fond du Lac and increase the power reliability and dependability for our distribution network.” Alliant Energy’s 2014 Power Wisconsin Plan includes approximately $74 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.
