Foxconn's Wisconsin plant to get $140m electricity project

CHICAGO — Tech giant Foxconn's display screen plant in Wisconsin would get a $140 million project to meet its huge electric demand, local transmission utility American Transmission Co (ATC) has said.

The government of the US state of Wisconsin and Foxconn inked the final contract for the plant worth $10 billion in November. According to the contract, Foxconn has to hire 13,000 local workers.

Foxconn's 22-million-square-foot LCD facility is projected to require 230 megawatts electricity initially, enough to power 170,000 households and up to six times more electricity than the next largest manufacturing facility in the state, according to a description of the project posted on the utility's website.

Before adding power lines and building the new substation, ATC will need approval for the $140 million upgrade project from the State Public Service Commission(PSC). The utility says it will file an application with the PSC in February and ask for a decision by August.

If the commission approves the project, construction would begin late next year on the substation and in early 2019 on the transmission lines, according to ATC. Power would start flowing by late 2019 or early 2020.