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I have added two photos of a 345 KV line.
As related in a previous post (The New Phone Books Are Here! ) the Draft Environmental Statement (DEIS) has been issued by PSC and DNR on ATC's proposal for a new 345 KV ATC Transmission Line.
I read selected portions of the DEIS and the good news is that only one of the four options runs through Monona (Rockdale-Beltline), the bad news is that the report throws massive amounts of cold water on the possibility of putting the transmission line underground. Take a look at Chapter 11, especially 11.1.
Basically, the report says there is not much experience in either numbers or years with this type of underground transmission - only six in the US and all since 2006. The six underground lines in the US are "too few and too recent to fully assess reliability, the operating and maintenance issues, and the potential impacts on other parts of the electrical system".
And section 11.2.8 portrays a gloomy picture of the maintenance problems associated with underground transmission lines:
Did I say cold water? Try ice water.
A more general argument against a Beltline route, especially through Monona and either across the wetlands or along Broadway, appears more likely to bear fruit.
I read selected portions of the DEIS and the good news is that only one of the four options runs through Monona (Rockdale-Beltline), the bad news is that the report throws massive amounts of cold water on the possibility of putting the transmission line underground. Take a look at Chapter 11, especially 11.1.
Basically, the report says there is not much experience in either numbers or years with this type of underground transmission - only six in the US and all since 2006. The six underground lines in the US are "too few and too recent to fully assess reliability, the operating and maintenance issues, and the potential impacts on other parts of the electrical system".
And section 11.2.8 portrays a gloomy picture of the maintenance problems associated with underground transmission lines:
The main operational difference between an underground cable circuit and an overhead circuit is the length of the outage in the event of a cable failure on the underground circuit. With an overhead circuit, the line can generally be placed back into service in a relatively short amount of time, typically less than a day for single component repair of a conductor or insulator string.
When an underground line has a problem, the line may be out of service for a significant amount of time (likely a minimum of four weeks and up to six months), depending on the type of cable failure and how quickly it can be located and repaired. Furthermore, the repair crew would need to be provided from the European cable suppliers and ATC would, in all probability, not be able to have a repair crew available immediately.
Did I say cold water? Try ice water.
A more general argument against a Beltline route, especially through Monona and either across the wetlands or along Broadway, appears more likely to bear fruit.
OK, I am a bit slow-
ReplyDeletePerhaps, it is all this thinking about Chickens.
Draw me a picture-
The overhead line would go along broadway?
Yes or NO?
And this is bad because it will be bad for development along Broadway, right?
Thanks,
HP
Broadway is an alternate route and it could be either overhead or underground along there. If you go the PSC site and look at the DEIS you can see maps. Look at Figure 2-1-C.
ReplyDeleteA 345 KV transmission tower is about 150' tall. That's big and ugly. We have spent a lot of money over the last 20 years to redevelop Broadway with a good deal of success. I think a huge transmission line would make the area significantly less attracive to developers.