Owners of approximately 800 tracts of land in Jefferson County, Texas will receive notice an Entergy Texas, Inc. transmission line may affect their land. The Public Utility Commission of Texas will consider the application in Docket No. 47003. Click here to view or download the application.
New Entergy Substations
Entergy’s application states is proposes two new 230 kV substations and a new 230 kV transmission line. The transmission line will run between the new substations. The purpose of the transmission line is to alleviate power flow limitations and low voltages in the Port Arthur area.
Entergy identifies one of the substation sites as the proposed Garden 230 kV Substation. That substation will be on a new 43 acre site near Central Gardens, Texas. Entergy identifies the other substation site as the proposed Legend 230 kV Substation. That substation will be on a 16 acre site near Port Acres, Texas.
Monopoles
Entergy will use steel or concrete monopole structures for this project. Those structures have a relatively small footprint compared to H-frame structures (two poles) or four leg steel lattice towers. Entergy states they also are easier to engineer and are aesthetically more appealing to property owners than the other two alternatives. Monopole construction also requires less right-of-way than the other alternatives. Entergy’s application includes illustrations of three typical structures.
Estimated Schedule
The PUC’s rules require the Commission to approve or reject the application one year from the filing date of April 7, 2017. Entergy estimates right-of-way land acquisition will start in March 2018. Entergy estimates construction will begin in July 2018. The facilities will be energized in June 2020.
Project Need
Entergy’s application states the project will address the forecast transmission reliability needs of the Port Arthur area of Entergy’s service territory. The project will mitigate line overloads and alleviate low voltage criteria that violate both a North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) Planning Standard and Entergy’s Transmission Planning Criteria.
Independent ISO Review
Entergy is a member of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) regional transmission organization. MISO reviewed the project and determined it to be an effective project to mitigate projected non-compliance with NERC reliability standards. MISO classified the project as a baseline reliability project. The MISO board of directors approved the project on December 8, 2016.
Black & Veatch Routing Study
Entergy retained Black & Veatch Corporation to prepare a Route Selection Study and Environmental Assessment for the proposed project. The application describes the process Black & Veatch used to develop route alternatives. Entergy proposes 16 alternative routes ranging in length from 11.42 to 15.78 miles. Entergy estimates the total cost of the project to range from approximately $67 million to $80 million depending on the final route selected. The application states those routes represent an adequate number of reasonable, viable, and geographically varied alternative routes.
Identification of the route Entergy finds best meets the Commission’s routing criteria
Black & Veatch recommended Route 11 as the route that best meets the Commission’s routing criteria. Entergy reviewed Black & Veatch’s recommendation and agrees Route 11 best meets the Commission’s criteria.
Will the PUC approve Route 11?
Entergy identified several alternative routes including Route 6, which Entergy identified as the second-best route. The PUC, however, decides which route to use for the transmission line. The Commission may or may not approve Route 11 or even Route 6. The Commission can approve any proposed route or any combination of properly-noticed proposed segments.
What can a landowner do?
The only way to fully participate in the PUC’s decision on where to locate the transmission line is to intervene. The notice materials landowners will receive include a brochure from the PUC that discusses how to intervene. The brochure also is available here. Landowners who intervene may provide information the Commission needs to reach a final decision.
Intervention deadline
The Entergy notice to landowners states the deadline to intervene in the docket is May 22, 2017.