Ameren Illinois Utilities, which provides electricity to about 210,000 customers in 19 counties in Illinois, has proposed two possible power line routes to connect the Bondville Substation to the Southwest Campus Substation in the Champaign area.

The two proposed routes would see construction of additional power lines near campus and cost the company from $14 million to $22 million.

According to Jerry Murbarger, transmission design specialist, the Bondville Substation is located a quarter mile west of Rising Road on the south side of Route 10.

The Southwest Campus Substation, on the other hand, is located on the east side of the railroad tracks on Neil Street.

There is a 2 to 4 percent annual growth rate in the amount of electricity Ameren delivers to its customers, Morris said.

With households around the area acquiring more electronic devices, the amount of electricity that needs to be delivered along the power lines has increased.

“We’re going to deliver more electricity in the future than we have now,” Morris said.

He mentioned that the benefits for setting up these power line routes will include improved voltages, added capacity and continued reliable service to its customers.

“One conductor can carry only so much electricity. There are only so many electrons that can go down that path,” Morris said.

“The project provides another source of supply to the Southwest Campus Substation and the Champaign area. The project completes a 138,000 voltage loop around the Champaign area.”

Construction will hopefully begin by 2010 and service is planned to start in the first quarter of 2014, he added.

Trish Spinner, regulatory consultant at Ameren, said the company is regulated by the Illinois Commerce Commission. The commission must review the project needs, the financial capacity of the company and finalize the routes of the power line wires before any progress can be made. These cases take from 12 to 18 months to be approved by the commission.

From hundreds of possible routes, Ameren selected two potential routes for the power lines that have yet to be approved.

“The possibilities were limitless,” Morris said. “It has to be viable, practical routes.”

The nine-mile preferred route is estimated to cost around $14 million, while the 17-mile alternative route is projected to cost $22 million, said Roger Nelson, real estate supervisor for Ameren.

Because most of the construction would take place through stretches of farmland, the use of single shaft steel poles needed for the power lines will maximize space for crops, Morris said. He added that farmers will be reimbursed for damaged crops. The preferred and the alternate routes have minimum impact on residential areas, he said.

Ameren used feedback and information from landowners to design appropriate routes avoiding areas with sensitivities like airports and hospitals that can pose problems for construction.

Open houses are being conducted by the company so local landowners can become more informed about the project.

“The more everyone is aware of what we are doing, the smoother the process will be,” Morris said.

“We share information, and we listen to what people have to tell us.”