17,000 Without Power Following Winter Storm
Kansas City Airport Closed Due to Snow Storm
FoxNews.com -- Associated Press
March 28, 2009
Kansas City, Mo. -- A storm has buried parts of Kansas in more than two feet of snow and knocked out power to at least 17,000 homes and businesses.
Some areas are dealing with freezing rain that has coated power lines and trees with ice up to an inch thick. The Kansas Adjutant General's Office said 17,000 customers are without power.
To read the complete story, click
here.
CUA COST ESTIMATE
Two of CUA's experts inlcude James B. Simmonds and Christopher L. DeMarco. They have included in their testimony cost estimates for underground and overhead transmission lines. These costs are many times LESS than what ATC has quoted for undergrounding, and in many cases, it is LOWER than what ATC has quoted to build the overhead lines. ATC has quoted that the 345 KV line would run between 32 and 47 miles and could cost between $214 and $244 million, depending on the route.
Simmonds has spent his entire 40-year career involved in the analysis and estimation of the costs for installation of underground transmission systems in the United States and abroad. Simmonds has performed hundreds of cost estimates for various underground transmission projects. The projects involved 69 kV transmission lines to 345 kV transmission lines.
DeMarco is employed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a Professor and faculty member in the Deparment of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He has a Ph.D. and Masters of Science degrees from the Department of Electrical Engineeringa nd Computer Sciences at the University of California - Berkeley, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from teh Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In addition to his work with the UW, DeMarco has served as a consultant advising the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) in the area of power system voltage stability, under a contract entitled "Response-Based Voltage Stability Controls: Industry Expert Panel Services."
UNDERGROUND TRANSMISSION LINE
138 kV HPGF Double Circuit - (complete cost estimate)
Total cost per two mile segment - $12,027,400
Average cost per mile -- $6,013,700
Cost for 17 miles -- $106,250,000 - $110,500,000
230 kV HPFF Double Circuit (complete cost estimate)
Total cost per two mile segment - $13,067,800
Average cost per mile -- $6,533,900
Cost for 17 miles -- $114,750,000 - $123,250,000
230 kV HPFF Single Circuit (complete cost estimate)
Total cost per two mile segment - $7,257,400
Average cost per mile - $3,628,700
Cost for 17 miles - $59,5000,000 - $68,000,000
345 kV XLPE Cable Double Circuit (complete cost estimate)
Total cost per two mile segment - $16,630,000
Average cost per mile -- $8,315,000
Cost for 25 miles -- $212,500,000 - $225,000,000
345 kV XLPE Cable Single Circuit (complete cost estimate)
Total cost per two mile segment -- $11,867,500
Average cost per mile -- $5,933,750
Cost for 25 miles -- $162,500,000 - $175,000,000
345 kV HPFF Double Circuit (complete cost estimate)
Total cost per two mile segment -- $16,100,000
Average cost per mile -- $8,050,000
Cost for 17 miles -- $136,000,000 - $153,000,000
345 kV HPFF Single Circuit (complete cost estimate)
Total cost per two mile segment -- $9,151,450
Average cost per mile -- $4,575,725
Cost for 17 miles -- $85,000,000 - $93,500,000
OTHER USEFUL LINKS:
Public can watch hearings online
A live video feed of the public hearings will be broadcast via the Internet and can be accessed by visiting the
PSC Web site, or click
here for the direct link.
To read the entire Cap Times article on the public hearings, click
here.
Public Hearings Set for March 24 & 25
Notice was given that the PSC will hold hearings in this Class 1 contested case March 24, 25, and March 31 - April 3, 2009.
Comments from members of the public and others who are not parties will be received on March 24 and 25, 2009, at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. in the Amnicon Falls Hearing Room at 610 North Whitney Way, Madison, Wis.
Click
here to read the entire release.
Middleton Contributes $20,000 to cause
Click
here to read entire article from the Middleton Times Tribune.
Update: Public hearings set on power-line proposal
Wisconsin State Journal - State Journal staff
Feb. 20, 2009
A final environmental impact statement has been issued and public hearings are scheduled next month in Madison on the proposed high-voltage electricity transmission line between Rockdale and Middleton in Dane County.
The 345-kilovolt line proposed by American Transmission Co. would run between 32 and 47 miles and could cost between $214 million and $244 million, depending on the route. The cost would be higher if portions of the line are built underground.
The EIS, issued this week by the state Public Service Commission and the Department of Natural Resources, examines four proposed routes for the line in terms of their environmental and social impact.
To read the complete article, click
here.
Consultant hired to reconsider need for new transmission line
The Capital Times - Mike Ivey
Feb. 11, 2009
Will the combination of a deep economic slowdown, coupled with improvements in energy efficiency, preclude the need for a new $250 million high-voltage electric transmission line across Dane County?
It's a question some are asking as more factories close at the same time President Obama is calling for a greening of the nation's century-old electric system.
Last week, the Madison City Council approved hiring a consultant to study the economics of a new 345-kilovolt transmission line and to determine whether it is warranted. The city previously hired a consultant to study putting the line underground or somewhere other than along the Beltline highway as proposed.
Click here to read more.
