Queen Creek, Ariz., meeting to provide information about transmission line plan
The Tribune, Mesa, Ariz. --Jul. 27
Jul. 27--Queen Creek residents will have a chance to review a proposal to install a new electrical transmission line through parts of the East Valley and Pinal County at a public meeting Wednesday.
While there are several routes, including a preferred one, that are under
consideration, a single route has not yet been identified, said Dan Hawkins,
Salt River Project's project manager.
The intent of the Queen Creek meeting and others to be held this week in the
Pinal County communities of Casa Grande, Coolidge and Maricopa is to present the
routes and receive comment from residents about them, said SRP spokesman Scott
Harelson.
The line is needed to create safeguards within the region's electrical system
and provide capacity for growing communities in Pinal County and the East
Valley. The construction project would consist of installing a series of metal
towers that would carry 500,000-volt and 230,000-volt electric lines.
The lines would take electricity from the West Valley's Palo Verde hub where
energy is provided by the nuclear power plant as well as Arizona Public
Service's Red Hawk plant and other generators, Harelson said.
The line would travel from the West Valley through Pinal County and the Queen
Creek region and then connect to SRP's Browning substation on Signal Butte Road
in East Mesa, he said.
One proposed route would have the system travel east along state Route 287
from Pinal County's 11 Mile Corner Road to Christensen Road, follow some rail
lines and then the Central Arizona Project Canal in the Queen Creek area and
connect with existing electrical towers near the Browning substation, Hawkins
said.
The project "is all part of meeting the needs of what is really
explosive growth in the East Valley," Harelson said.
Currently, a single large 500,000 volt transmission system, called the Kyrene
Line, transmits electricity from the Palo Verde area to East Valley customers
through a substation at Kyrene and Ray Roads and the Browning substation.
"That's our major connection to that region. If we were to have a
problem with that Kyrene Line, we don't have a lot of alternatives to bring that
bulk energy from the West Valley energy market hub to the Valley, "
Harelson said.
The importance of a sound power grid has been emphasized since fires at the
Westwing substation in Peoria and at the Deer Valley substation in north Phoenix
damaged or destroyed six transformers and threatened the ability of utilities to
meet customer demand. Utilities have been urging residents to cut electrical use
during peak afternoon hours while repairs are made and a $2 million replacement
unit is shipped to the Valley.
While SRP is managing the proposed transmission project, it also involves APS,
Tucson Electric Power and the Santa Cruz Water and Power Districts Association.
Company officials are expected to formally present the project and its proposed
routes to the Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Sighting Committee this
fall.
While the committee can issue a permit for the project, the Arizona
Corporation Commission reviews the decision and can support, modify or cancel
it. The commission is comprised of five elected members and regulates most
utilities in Arizona.
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