(PORTLAND, OR) -- The Bonneville Power Administration has
decided to build a 24-mile, 115-kilovolt transmission line and substation in southeastern
Idaho so it can continue to provide stable and reliable transmission service in
southeastern Idaho and northwestern Wyoming.
For the past nine years, BPA has worked with
elected officials, local landowners, interest groups, cooperating agencies and
other interested stakeholders to reach this decision.
“We thank everyone who has provided input
that led to this decision,” said Richard Shaheen, senior vice president of BPA
Transmission Services. “On balance, we believe the selected option achieves the
objective of minimizing impacts to the environment while maintaining electric
reliability in the area.”
BPA has selected the South Alternative’s
Option 3A, as it is referred to in the project’s final
environmental impact statement. This option, selected over the North and
South alternatives and their options, will have fewer transmission structures
and less miles of new access road construction. Option 3A has an estimated cost
of $65 million, which is $9 million less than the North Alternative and about
the same cost as the other build options.
BPA will spend the balance of 2015 acquiring
land rights to construct the new transmission line and substation. It expects
to start substation, transmission line and access road construction in spring
2016.
“We look forward to working with individual
landowners as we begin to plan construction activities,” said BPA project
manager Erich Orth. “Our goal of having the least amount of impact to
landowners and property still remains the same.”
Additional information about the decision is
available on the BPA website.
