PPL Electric Utilities announced Tuesday, intentions to construct a 500,000 volt transmission line, more than double what is in place now, between their Susquehanna nuclear plant at Berwick, Pa. and the Roseland, NJ substation outside New York City.
The current line, with a 230,000 volt capacity, runs from Berwick to Scranton and east through Wayne County, through Canaan, Lake, Paupack and Palmyra townships. It then extends through Pike County, crossing Route 6 near the Wallenpaupack dam. Although one option PPL is examining is to use the same right-of-way, alternate routes will be explored, and public input will be essential, said Paul Wirth, PPL Manager of Public Relations.
The need for a heavier duty line is to keep up with increased demand for reliable electricity throughout the region, Wirth stated. PJM Interconnection, a separate non-profit entity which controls planning for power transmission throughout 13 northeast states and Washington, D.C., identified the need for expansion in their annual plan. PJM projects the demand for electricity during peak summer usage in the Middle Atlantic Region, to grow from the present, approximate 60,000 megawatts to more than 70,000 megawatts in 10 years. A chart supplied by PPL shows only about 47,000 megawatts being used by customers, in 1998.
 PJM has determined that the line is needed to avoid future overloads on existing lines, and has directed PPL to construct the portion of the line in Pennsylvania.
Wirth stated that this segment will be approximately 100 miles in length and will cost between $300 million and $500 million. The cost would affect customers’ electric bills, but not by much, he said, as the cost would be spread throughout the PJM territory and over many years.
PPL has contracted with the Louis Berger Group Inc., a consulting firm which will examine property owner impacts, environmental concerns, economics and power line reliability. Gregory J. Smith, PE, Manager of PPL Transmission Expansion, stated they must follow regulations set by the Pa. Public Utilities Commission (PUC) which requires alternate routes to be identified. “If nothing else mattered,” Smith said, they would choose the straightest and most economical path between two points, but “other things do matter.” These include impact on populations and the environment, and the ultimate route could zig-zag as the current one does.
As many as 320 temporary jobs would be created during the construction phase and provide an estimated $100 million benefit to the region’s economy, said Smith.
Once public hearings are held and other public input is gathered, the alternate routes recommended by the consultant would be narrowed to one preferred route and that would be submitted in PPL’s application to the PUC. Smith said he expected that would occur in late 2008, and if all goes well, the PUC would issue approval in late 2009, when construction could begin. The project is expected to be completed in 2012. The PUC also has a public input process.
Use of the existing route would “weigh heavily” in their analysis, Smith said, but studies may find it not to be practical to expand this way. Larger towers would likely be needed.
Burying power lines at this high a voltage is not even considered, Smith stated; a cleared right-of-way would still be needed and would cost as much as 10 times more than using towers.
Several public hearings are slated for the third quarter of 2008, where the public may examine detailed maps, ask questions and provide valuable information on the suggested route.
The use of Eminent Domain is “only a last resort,” Wirth stressed, and is utilized only in a minority of cases. He said that PPL prefers to reach friendly agreements with land owners through negotiations. Land owners would still the land where the right-of-way would be sketched, but PPL would attain the rights to put up towers and lines, and maintain them.
“This will be a real robust and open communication process,” Wirth emphasized. Realizing the controversy power line projects can generate, such as the hotly contested NYRI high transmission line proposed in New York State- cutting through nearby Sullivan County- Wirth said they wish to be “open and honest” up front with their plans.
Asked for their view of why power line projects can create such fury, Smith acknowledged people don’t want to see transmission towers and lines in their backyard. At the same token, Wirth added, these same people expect continued, reliable, and increased power.
More information is available at the project web site, www.pplreliablepower.com.