ACC Approves 100 Mile Transmission Line

Project Necessary for Reliable, Robust Electrical Grid

PHOENIX – Nearly 100 miles of power line will traverse the far southern regions of the Phoenix metro area from the Pinal West substation east of Maricopa on a route that takes the line east below Casa Grande, east of Coolidge and north through a portion of Florence.  The high-voltage 500/230 kilovolt line travels northward to a terminus in Mesa at the Browning substation. 

After more than eight hours of public deliberations, the Commissioners concluded today's continuation of the line siting open meeting by approving an amended route for the Pinal West to Southeast Valley/Browning line. 

The power line is the second half of a power line that will bring power from the Palo Verde hub on the far western portion of Maricopa County down through Pinal County and ultimately connecting in the far eastern portion of Maricopa County.  The western portion of the line was approved by the Commission in May 2004.  The total project is estimated to cost between $250 and $300 million dollars once it is completed.  The Pinal West to Southeast Valley portion of the line approved today is estimated to cost approximately $160 million.  Construction is likely to begin in late 2006 with completion in phases over the next decade.

The Commissioners modified the route to eliminate the hotly debated “Backward C” alignment around Coolidge, voting instead to take the line directly north along Valley Farms Road from the vicinity of Highway 287 and Cooper Road until Valley Farms Road meets the Union Pacific Railroad.  The approved route will go from Valley Farms Road northwest along the Union Pacific Railroad until it converges with the Magma Railroad.  The rest of the route remains as recommended by the Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee.

The Backward C alignment emerged as a last minute compromise intended to resolve conflicts between certain developers, town managers and city mayors from the region.  What concerned the Commissioners is that the compromise route gave a nod to major developers by moving the project away from several key planned developments but, instead, placed the line in front of existing homeowners.  The Backward C alignment also cut through an area with cultural and archeological significance.

The alignment approved in today’s decision takes the line away from hundreds of existing homes and places it on a path that affects future developments.

The Commissioners also established new precedents intended to provide greater and broader notice of power line projects.  These measures include requirements that:

• The project participants* will provide homebuilders and developers within one mile of the center line of the certificated route with the identity, location and a pictorial description of the type of power line being constructed, encouraging the developers to share this information with potential home or property buyers.
• Project participants must work in good faith with homeowners, homeowners associations and potential developers to avoid existing and future homes. 
• Within three years of this decision, the project participants must determine a tentative centerline for the project and post signs notifying the public that the property is the site of a future transmission line or substation. 
• Once the project participants secure all or any portion of the easement for the line, that easement must be recorded with the appropriate County Recorder's Office.
• Casa Grande, Coolidge and Florence will need future transmission lines and substations.  Because existing city and town plans lack transmission and utility corridors, the Commissioners passed an amendment encouraging these communities to work in good faith to plan ahead for this infrastructure.

The Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee held an unprecedented 17 days of hearings on this project.  Public comment was allowed at each hearing with and the Committee held an additional three evening public comment sessions.  The Arizona Corporation Commission also held a public comment session in Casa Grande on July 20 and took public comment at the start of yesterday’s proceedings.

Although there were split votes on some amendments, the final vote was unanimous.

*Project participants include:  The project is planned jointly by the Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District (SRP), Arizona Public Service Company, Tucson Electric Power Company, the Santa Cruz Water and Power Districts Association, Electrical District Number 2, and Southwest Transmission Cooperative Inc.  The project is managed by SRP.

More information on this project can be found at www.azpower.org.

Pinal West to Southeast Valley/Browning by the numbers:

• SRP and project participants held more than 20 public open houses before filing the case with the Siting Committee.
• SRP mailed information to every zip code within the 2,000 square mile study area
• Each mailing went to more than 120,000 people

During the Arizona Power Plant & Transmission Line Siting Committee’s Review:

• 17 days of evidentiary hearings with public comment permitted at each meeting
• 3 tours of the proposed routes
• 3 special evening public comment sessions
• More than 100 members of the public offered public comment
• More than 50 witnesses testified in front of the Committee
• More than 150 exhibits were reviewed
• The Committee received over 400 comment letters
• The official transcript contains more than 4,300 pages

At the Corporation Commission:

• Hearing on Request for Review of the Line Siting Committee’s Recommendation:  July 13, 2005
• Public Comment Session in Casa Grande:  July 20, 2005
• Open Meeting for Final Decision:  August 15 & 16, 2005

What are the Commissioners saying about the Pinal West to Southeast Valley/Browning case?

Chairman Jeff Hatch-Miller – “This case was a long, arduous case involving the review of thousands of documents, tours and comment sessions.  Our vote today is all about Arizona’s future.  The little guy got his day in court – and he won.  This case proves that there are no rubber stamps for these projects.  Every project will be subjected to careful scrutiny to ensure that the people of Arizona have the electric infrastructure to meet their needs.”

Commissioner Marc Spitzer – “The arguments from the developers threatened to take center stage in this debate but I am glad that we took care to address the reliability issue.  As our staff engineer testified, if you place critical infrastructure close together, you enhance the chance that a common event could take out multiple lines.  By amending the route, we enhanced reliability.  This decision is not anti-Pinal County simply because we did not vote the way the mayors and council members wanted us to vote.  This power line is needed and there were compelling and convincing reasons to change the route.”

Commissioner Bill Mundell – “I believe this case gave us a unique opportunity to work together to ensure that Pinal County and all of Arizona has reliable, affordable electricity far into the future.  I believe that fundamental fairness requires us to place the needs of existing homeowners – whenever possible – ahead of those who may choose to move into the community later.  Continued growth will necessitate the siting and construction of additional transmission line and substations.  My amendment requires the project participants to work with Casa Grande, Coolidge and Florence to address future transmission concerns by establishing utility corridors in their city and town plans.”

Commissioner Mike Gleason – “This is a move that brings more reliability to the state, sets the stage for reliable local power in Casa Grande, Coolidge and Florence and protects, where possible, the interests of local residents.  As the Siting Committee Chairman said, we’re voting on structures that will be there for the next hundred years.  We need to put the community and the state’s interest ahead of the short-term profit interests of real estate developers.”

Commissioner Kris Mayes – “We are here to protect and serve people, not dirt.  By rejecting the Backward C route, we are showing the people of Arizona that we are more committed to people over developers.  We’re also committed to a reliable electricity grid and this project is critical to the state’s continued growth in energy demand.”