A WARD research projectPublic-record atlasData as of —

Wisconsin Grid Atlas

The 765 kV and 345 kV plans from the Dakotas to Lake Michigan, ATC’s 10-year plan, the substations being built or expanded for them, and the data centers, power plants, solar farms and pipelines tied to the same grid — with the dockets, cost estimates and sources behind each entry.

Views
50 mi
Schematic · routes approximate

How to read the map

Solid — approved, building or operating
Dashed — planned or filed, route not final
Dotted — proposed or stalled
Ring — connection point shared by 2+ projects
Square — new substation (filled) or an existing one being expanded
Dashed square — substation named in the plan; new or expanded not specified
Dotted tie — where a site connects
Hollow line — oil or gas pipeline
GPlant fuel (C coal, G gas, N nuclear) · diamond = modular, edge or crypto site
Faded — stalled, cancelled or retired

What it costs

Each project’s published cost estimate, added up by group. Tap a group to light up its projects on the map and rank them by price.

Tranche 1 and 2.1 figures are MISO’s own estimates (Tranche 1 as updated in Nov 2023; Tranche 2.1 in 2024 dollars), so each group adds up to MISO’s published totals. Other projects use the latest utility or PSC figure in their entry. A project split across several map entries is counted once. Entries with no public estimate add $0 and are marked unpriced. Estimates are not final costs; they usually rise.

Where projects meet

Substations and connection points that two or more projects name as an endpoint, stop or tie-in. These are the tie-ins — the places where the 765 kV, Tranche 1, local lines and power sources physically connect.

Every project

Grouped by layer. Open a group to see its projects, then tap one to find it on the map. The status filter pulls up the proposals that stalled or were cancelled.

About the atlas

Schematic, on purpose

Lines are drawn between known substations and towns, not surveyed routes. Where no route exists yet — BECI, MariBell’s Wisconsin leg — the line simply joins the fixed connection points MISO set. Projects outside the Upper Midwest (Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri) are placed by substation town or county and are rougher still.

Where the data comes from

PSC and Minnesota PUC dockets, MISO planning documents, ATC’s 2025 10-year plan, utility project pages and reporting, each linked in its entry. Cost figures come from the same places: MISO’s own estimates for Tranche 1 and 2.1, and PSC or utility figures for everything else. A source listed without a link is a document that isn’t posted online.

Corrections

Each entry carries the date it was last checked against its sources. Spot something out of date or missing? Email info@responsiblewi.org with a link to the source.