Giant power line planned: Interstate
electric pathway unveiled for peninsula
Nov 7, 2007 - Kate House-Layton Delaware State
News, Dover - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News
Delmarva Power on Tuesday unveiled a plan for a
proposed interstate electric transmission line.
The mid-Atlantic Power Pathway, utility representatives
told the state Public Service Commission, is the first
interstate transmission line in the region to come
along in 25 years. The last new line connected New
York to Washington, D.C.
The proposed $1.2 billion, 230-mile line is designed
to ease power congestion on the Delmarva Peninsula,
in the Washington-Baltimore area and in southern New
Jersey.
Power Pathway lines would create what Bill Gausman,
vice president of asset management for Delmarva's
parent company Pepco Holdings, called a continuous
loop through the Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey and
Pennsylvania region. For the first time, the Delmarva
Peninsula would be connected to electric sources from
the south and west.
"It would significantly enhance the reliability
of the electric system on the Delmarva Peninsula,"
Delmarva spokesman Bill Yingling said.
Mr. Gausman and Delmarva Power regional president
Gary Stockbridge said it's time to expand the transmission
grid for more reliable electric supply.
"Although we're excited about this, we recognize
it's one piece of the puzzle," Mr. Stockbridge told
the PSC and representatives from various state agencies.
"We believe it is important to get additional power
to the Delmarva Peninsula, since a PJM report indicates
that the peninsula will experience a 2.5 percent annual
growth in electricity demand over the next decade,"
Delmarva spokesman Matt Likovich said.
The transmission line would have a Dover connection.
Power Pathway lines would serve utilities up and
down the peninsula, Mr. Yingling said, and therefore
could travel along the existing Delmarva Power rights
of way in Delaware. Since Delmarva has power lines
that run through the Dover area, Mr. Yingling said,
the vast majority of the new lines would run through
these existing rights of way.
The transmission line would increase power import
capability onto the peninsula by more than 1,000 megawatts,
or 1 million homes.
Some of the power sources placed on the grid would
be from coal-fired and nuclear power plants.
PSC executive director Bruce H. Burcat said Delaware
already receives some of its electricity from nuclear
sources, such as New Jersey-based plants.
Because Delmarva Power still has to acquire various
permits in multiple states, the utility isn't sure
when it will be able to start construction on the
project, although it hopes to begin next year and
finish by 2014. "They still have a long way to go,"
Mr. Burcat said.
"They have to get a lot of things done by 2014."
Delmarva has a proposed memorandum of understanding
between Eastern Shore Natural Gas Corp. and Maryland
Broadband Cooperative to identify and select a utility
corridor crossing the Chesapeake Bay, minimize environmental
impacts from construction and perform joint environmental
studies.
It must establish agreements with environmental and
engineering consulting firms, review existing easement
agreements and determine where additions are needed
and new agreements are required.
It has letters of support from Gov. Ruth Ann Minner,
the Delmarva Peninsula Planning Association, Delaware
Municipal Electric Corp. and Delaware Electric Cooperative.
Mr. Gausman said the cost of the project would be
shared throughout the region. The Delmarva Peninsula
customer share would be less than 10 percent, he said.
Mr. Stockbridge said members of PJM Interconnection,
one of the world's largest power grids, approved the
project last month. Delmarva's presentation was to
let the PSC know about the approval and communicate
with the state utility regulator.
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