Allegheny Energy Seeks West Virginia Authorization For New Transmission Line
Line is Critical to Ensuring Reliability of Power Grid
Greensburg, PA — Allegheny Energy, Inc. announced recently that it has filed an application seeking authorization to build a new 500-kilovolt transmission line in West Virginia.
Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line Company, an Allegheny Energy subsidiary, filed with the West Virginia Public Service Commission to build the West Virginia segment of the proposed Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line (TrAIL). The application includes the location of the preferred line route in the state. Independent experts concur that without the line, the region could experience blackouts by 2011.
Targeted for completion in 2011, the line will span Allegheny's service territory from Southwestern Pennsylvania through West Virginia to Northern Virginia. Within West Virginia, the line will run about 114 miles, passing to the west of Morgantown in Monongalia County and traversing Preston, Tucker, Grant, Hardy and Hampshire counties before crossing into Virginia. To see a map of the West Virginia route, go to www.alleghenyenergy.com/Newsroom/NewsroomHome.asp.
As part of its review, the commission is expected to conduct public hearings for interested individuals to speak about the line.
"We determined our preferred route after careful study, which included the analysis of valuable input we received at public open houses," said David E. Flitman, President Allegheny Power and Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line Company. "We urge you to stay informed, keep an open mind and support a thorough, fair review of our plans by regulators."
About 1,500 individuals attended Allegheny's 10 informational open houses across the study area for the proposed line. The purpose of the sessions was to show potential routes in the greatest detail possible and collect feedback. The company's routing team heard remarks from residents who scanned detailed aerial photography showing homes and other landmarks, and also considered hundreds of written comments to create the best possible route for the line.
Without the line, the stability of the grid and reliable flow of electricity within the PJM region cannot be reasonably assured. This could result in blackouts, rolling blackouts and brownouts within West Virginia and other areas of PJM as early as 2011. PJM is the regional grid operator.
While the line is critical to the ongoing reliability of the grid, there are other benefits as well, including:
- meeting the growing demand for electricity; and
- increasing west-to-east transfer capability, making cost-effective generation available to more customers.
Benefits to the West Virginia economy include:
- expanding markets for local coal;
- an estimated 700 jobs during the construction phase (2007-2011); and
- the potential for new generation projects, including clean-coal technologies.
Allegheny is committed to working with landowners, neighboring residents, business owners and regulators to balance all interests in an effort to minimize land-use impacts. To learn more about TrAIL and see route maps, visit the project Web site at www.aptrailinfo.com. Allegheny plans to post the line-route application on the site in the near future. The application and other important TrAIL-related information will also be available on the West Virginia Public Service Commission Web site www.psc.state.wv.us.
The public can view the West Virginia application in the offices of the Clerks of Court of the County Commissions in each of the six counties which the proposed line route will cross and three other counties with area within five miles of the proposed line route (Taylor, Mineral and Marion). Copies are also available for review at these public libraries: Morgantown Public Library, Cheat Area Public Library, Kingwood Public Library, Five Rivers Public Library, Grant County Public Library, Hardy County Public Library, Hampshire County Public Library, Marion County Public Library, Keyser-Mineral County Public Library and Taylor County Public Library.
Allegheny plans to file similar applications with regulators in Pennsylvania and Virginia in coming weeks.
SOURCE: Allegheny Energy