Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois (ATXI) has energised the final span of a $1.4bn power transmission line project in the US.

The Illinois Rivers Project runs between Palmyra, Missouri and Sugar Creek, Indiana. the lines stretch over 375 miles, carrying 345kV.

ATXI chairman and president Shawn Schukar said: “Our country’s future energy security and sustainability depends on a strong transmission system to enable the transition from coal to renewable energy.

“The Illinois Rivers Project is an important component to help deliver clean, affordable and reliable energy to communities across the Midwest and ensure the grid can accommodate ever-increasing renewable resources.”

The Illinois Rivers Project is expected to improve energy grid reliability and provide increased transmission capacity.

Approved by the regional transmission organisation Midcontinent Independent System Operator in 2011, the project is part of multi-state group of transmission projects called Multi-Value Projects.

Transmission owners in the Midwest have started developing the Multi-Value Projects to improve the regional energy grid. The projects will also help integrate renewable energy to meet public policy goals.

It will also enable Midwestern families and businesses to access lower-cost energy and electricity from renewable sources.

Illinois Rivers is the third project completed by ATXI in the Multi-Value Project.

In February 2018, ATXI completed Spoon River Project in Illinois and announced the completion of Mark Twain Transmission Project, which went into service in Northeast Missouri in December 2019.

ATXI is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ameren that has a transmission system of more than 8,000 circuit miles of high-voltage transmission lines across a variety of energy markets.