Power line forum draws a crowd
Jul 19 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Joyce Lobeck The Sun, Yuma, Ariz. Arizona Public Service Co. gathered public input at an open house about its planned major electrical transmission line for Yuma -- and utility officials were stunned at the turnout. Mainly, people wanted to know if they might end up with a 230-kilovolt transmission line in their backyards, said Phil Hobday, an APS construction project planner. "The biggest concern was how close the line would come to them and what it would look like," he said. Phil Smithers, APS project manager, said residences will be impacted regardless of the route APS chooses -- the degree of impact is yet to be determined. As part of the screening process, an effort will be made to avoid churches, schools, commercial areas and heavily populated areas or planned subdivisions, Smithers said. Other considerations in selecting the route are the linear features -- existing power lines, major roads, canals and the railroad, which are the preferred routes to locate a new transmission line, Smithers said. "We'll try to screen out the routes to find the optimal route," he said. "That doesn't mean the line won't run next to homes. All the routes will impact someone. There is residential along every route. We can't get across where we need to without bringing it in some residential area." The planned line would carry electrical power from the North Gila substation at County 6th Street around Avenue 9E south along the eastern edge of the city to a proposed new substation at County 14-1/2 Street and Avenue 1E -- a distance of about 15 miles. APS officials have said the project is needed to expand electrical infrastructure that is nearing capacity in the southern part of Yuma County. Planners identified a need for an additional 130 megawatts of power by 2012 for the Yuma area. The new 230-kilovolt line could carry a maximum of 480 megawatts -- enough for an estimated 120,000 homes -- to meet future needs of the area for several years, Smithers said. Smithers said he met with a group from Marine Corps Air Station Yuma to find out what issues they would have with the various proposed routes. Their response was that the 130-foot poles along County 14-1/2 Street were acceptable, but if they ran west of Avenue 2E, MCAS Yuma would want them marked and lighted, Smithers said. "They also asked that we stay east of Avenue 5E." From the feedback APS planners have received, the potential routes will be narrowed down to two or three, he said. Then, APS will send out another newsletter to area residents and hold a second open house to gather more public input this fall. The final decision on the route will be made by the Arizona Corporation Commission after hearings held by its subcommittee, the Arizona Line Siting Committee, possibly in early 2008. APS plans to start construction in 2010 and have the new line in service for the summer of 2012. Public comment will be accepted up until the siting committee meets, Smithers said. Comments may be made by calling 1-602-493-4202 or 1-866-472-4484 or online at siting.aps.com.
|