BPA to build Caribou County transmission line
The Bonneville Power Administration has decided to build a new 115-kilovolt transmission line near Soda Springs. Construction of the $65 million project will begin in spring 2016.
According to BPA, the 24-mile line will extend east from the Hooper Springs substation to a new BPA connection facility. From there it will connect the new line to Lower Valley Energy’s existing transmission system in northeastern Caribou County.
Another 138-kilovolt transmission line will extend south to PacifiCorp’s existing Threemile Knoll substation and connect to the regional transmission grid.
The project is intended to improve voltage stability on the transmission grid and meet future load growth.
BPA said it has been working with elected officials, local landowners, and cooperating agencies to reach the decision for over nine years.
BPA Transmission Services senior vice president Richard Shaheen said, “on balance, we believe the selected option achieves the objective of minimizing impacts to the environment while maintaining electric reliability in the area.”
BPA will spend the rest of 2015 acquiring land rights. Project manager Erich Orth said he looked forward to working with individual landowners. “Our goal of having the least amount of impact to landowners and property still remains the same,” said Orth.
