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Sunflower plans transmission line changes
Published 3/11/2009 in News
By STEPHANIE FARLEY
PLYMELL — With increased load growth and electrical co-ops needing more power to supply to cities, Sunflower Electric Power Corp. is looking to uprate its existing 115-kilovolt transmission line located in Finney and Haskell counties.
The proposed project, titled the Holcomb-to-Pioneer Tap Substation Transmission Project, uprates the existing transmission line located in the two counties — Sunflower's also proposing relocating a portion of the existing line so it runs parallel to the roadway.
According to Sunflower, uprating involves replacing the existing conductor with a conductor with increased electrical capacity. With Sunflower's project, the conductor replacement involves using a larger, heavier conductor, which requires replacing some of the existing transmission lines and poles to handle the heavier conductor.
Sunflower held a come-and-go public meeting Tuesday night at Plymell Union Church to answer questions and address concerns from landowners the entity sent letters to that may be affected by the project. So far, though, according to Noman Williams, vice president of transmission services and engineering for Sunflower, there hasn't really been concern expressed about the project — mainly just questions, such as how close the new poles would come to some of the homes along the project's path. Williams said those details still are being worked out but that Sunflower had an environmental study conducted on the project's impact on property owners.
There really won't be much of an impact, Williams said, with other Sunflower representatives explaining that, in some ways, the project will help reduce the amount of land the poles will take up.
As of 7:10 p.m. Tuesday, only seven or so people had signed up at the meeting, with less than an hour to go -- a good sign, according to Sunflower Communications Coordinator Cindy Hertel, who said that shows the general public supports the project.
The project is independent of the larger project Sunflower's also working on to expand its Holcomb site to two additional coal-fired plants. The expansion — which Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Rod Bremby denied air quality permits for in October 2007 — is currently stalled in the court system and Kansas Legislature.
"We anticipated the process would be long and arduous, which is befitting the creation of a comprehensive energy bill that will affect all of Kansas," Hertel said of the expansion. "The wide bipartisan support of both the House and Senate bills shows the understanding that renewable standards, regulatory certainty, energy efficiency standards, job opportunities and affordable energy are essential to our state."
Tuesday's focus, though, was on the transmission project, which will happen regardless of the expansion's outcome.
According to Sunflower, the proposed project would start at the Holcomb substation, about 10 miles southwest of Garden City, and end at Pioneer Tap substation, about nine miles north of Sublette on 100 Road. The existing transmission line that's proposed for uprating is about 25 miles and would be located on private lands and public road rights of way.
From Holcomb substation to Plymell switch, the transmission line would remain in the same location and right of way. The existing steel poles in the section would remain but wooden H-frame structures would need to be replaced with more substantial wood structures to allow for heavier conductors. Single steel poles are being considered to replace the wood H-frame structures. The steel poles would be 90 to 105 feet tall, with an average span of 1,000 feet -- compared to the existing H-frame structures that are 65 feet tall and have an average span of 800 feet.
Sunflower Engineer Al Tamimi said the pole replacements would decrease the number of structures that would need to go up.
The portion of the project between Plymell switch and Pioneer substation would relocate the transmission line. Relocation would allow the proposed 115-kV transmission line to be moved from the middle of agricultural fields to the road right of way.
Sunflower hopes to have project details and approval finalized by June and start construction, which will last about six months, in July. Sunflower plans to have the line in service late this year.
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