Ascutney Substation Upgrade VIA MAIL February 18, 2011 Chair Town of Weathersfield Planning Commission P.O. Box 550 Ascutney, VT 05030 Re: Ascutney Substation Upgrade Certificate of Public Good – Section 248 Permit Process 45-Day Notice of Project Filing This letter and enclosed information detail Vermont Electric Power Company’s (VELCO’s) Ascutney Substation Upgrade Project (“the Project”) - a proposed electrical substation that will help improve the reliability of the electric facilities serving central Vermont as well as New Hampshire’s transmission network. VELCO, Vermont Transco, LLC (collectively, “VELCO”) and Central Vermont Public Service (CVPS) anticipate petitioning the Vermont Public Service Board (“PSB”) in April 2011, for approval and issuance of a Certificate of Public Good to build a new substation southeast of the existing site as further described in Attachment A (Project Overview). The state permitting process requires VELCO to provide the Town of Weathersfield advanced notice at least 45 days prior to a formal filing with the PSB 1 . Attached to this letter, you will find an overview of the Project as well as the substation site and the transmission system interconnection layouts and a discussion regarding the expected impacts associated with this upgrade. As described below, VELCO will fully engage in public outreach discussions with the Town and other parties affected 1 The process is governed by Public Service Board Rule 5.400, which can be viewed on the Board's website at http://psb.vermont.gov/ .
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Ascutney Substation Upgrade
VIA MAIL
February 18, 2011
Chair
Town of Weathersfield Planning Commission
P.O. Box 550
Ascutney, VT 05030
Re: Ascutney Substation Upgrade
Certificate of Public Good – Section 248 Permit Process 45-Day Notice of Project Filing
This letter and enclosed information detail Vermont Electric Power Company’s (VELCO’s) Ascutney Substation Upgrade Project (“the Project”) - a proposed electrical substation that will help improve the reliability of the electric facilities serving central Vermont as well as New Hampshire’s transmission network. VELCO, Vermont Transco, LLC (collectively, “VELCO”) and Central Vermont Public Service (CVPS) anticipate petitioning the Vermont Public Service Board (“PSB”) in April 2011, for approval and issuance of a Certificate of Public Good to build a new substation southeast of the existing site as further described in Attachment A (Project Overview). The state permitting process requires VELCO to provide the Town of Weathersfield advanced notice at least 45 days prior to a formal filing with the PSB1. Attached to this letter, you will find an overview of the Project as well as the substation site and the transmission system interconnection layouts and a discussion regarding the expected impacts associated with this upgrade. As described below, VELCO will fully engage in public outreach discussions with the Town and other parties affected
1 The process is governed by Public Service Board Rule 5.400, which can be viewed on the Board's website at http://psb.vermont.gov/ .
by this project to share our infonnation and to collect insights and feedback. You will also be receiving a copy of our petition when it is filed with the PSB. We respectfully request that your comments be submitted by March 28, 2011 which is seven days prior to the anticipated April 4,
2011 filing date. Please note that you may make recommendations to the PSB within the 45 days
after the petition is filed.
For additional infonnation regarding the PSB process, including your right to participate in the proceeding, please refer to the "Guide to the Vennont Public Service Board's Section 248 Process" which can be found at http://psb.vennont.gov/ under the link "For Consumers and the Public" .
Before filing with the PSB, we would welcome the opportunity to discuss any questions or concerns you may have about the Project. We will provide notice of our Project to neighboring landowners and post infonnation on our website, http://www.velco.com under "Ascutney" in the "Projects" section. In addition, we anticipate scheduling a presentation of the Project in Weathersfield III
March describing the project in further detail which will include a question and answer session.
So that we may better address any questions or concerns you may have, please contact us before
Jose Sebastiao, Project Manager Vennont Electric Power Company, Inc.
Enclosures:
• Attachment A - Project Overview
• Attachment B - Proposed Substation Viewshed Map
• Attachment C - Proposed Substation Layout & Transmission lines
• Attachment D - General Arrangement and Substation Elevations
• Attachment E - Glossary
Vermont Electric Power Company, Inc. 366 Pinnacle Ridge Rd, Rutland VT 05701
21Page
Attachment A – Project Overview
Vermont Electric Power Company, Inc. 1 | P a g e 366 Pinnacle Ridge Rd, Rutland VT 05701
VERMONT ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY
Ascutney Substation Project Overview
I. Introduction
Vermont Electric Power Company, Inc. and Vermont Transco LLC (VELCO) were formed when the local distribution utilities joined together to create the nation's first statewide "transmission only1
This overview describes the following:
" company in order to provide access to the St Lawrence hydro power and build and maintain the state’s high voltage transmission grid. VELCO owns and operates most of Vermont’s high voltage electric transmission network (essentially 115kV and above) interconnecting to the regional and national electric power supply system. VELCO’s network also provides electric supply to local distribution utilities such as Central Vermont Public Service (CVPS) in the Weathersfield service territory. The existing Ascutney substation directly connects to the sub-transmission network, providing service to CVPS and is also a key transmission asset interconnecting VELCO’s 115kV transmission network as further described in the project overview.
• Electric reliability problem associated with the current transmission network • Alternatives evaluated for this project • Project’s description • Project’s impacts • Anticipated project filing date with the Vermont Public Service Board (PSB) • Local and regional planning commissions’ rights to comment on the Project plans
A glossary of common electric terms is also attached for your reference. Additional information may be found on VELCO’s website at www.velco.com under the Projects tab, Ascutney Substation section.
1 Transmission refers to the part of the electric system that operates at high voltage and carries large amounts of electricity from generation plants to lower voltage distribution system supplying electricity to local areas. Typical transmission voltages in Vermont includes 450kV (kilovolt) direct current and 345kV, 115kV, 46kV or 34.5kV alternative current.
Attachment A – Project Overview
Vermont Electric Power Company, Inc. 2 | P a g e 366 Pinnacle Ridge Rd, Rutland VT 05701
II. Description of the Electric System Reliability Problem
Electric energy remains a cornerstone in the foundation of our local and state economies, our quality of life, and our communities. Households and local businesses use electricity to run communication networks and to operate facilities. Local industries and hospitals also rely on electricity to run lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning and to operate critical treatment facilities and equipment.
Although electric transmission facilities (power lines and substations) are responsible for only 8 to 10 percent of the average electric bill, they represent a much greater potential impact on the adequacy and reliability of the power system. If transmission facilities fail, large geographic areas can be affected, potentially resulting in interruptions to service and service quality or electric blackouts. Transmission utilities, such as VELCO, are required to design, operate and maintain a transmission network according to national and regional reliability standards. In addition, VELCO continuously assesses the adequacy of its system to ensure Vermont’s transmission network meets national and regional reliability criteria.
Originally built in 1958, VELCO’s existing Ascutney substation, located on Route 131 in Weathersfield, interconnects VELCO’s electric transmission network in central Vermont. The substation is connected to Webster, Bellows Falls and Slayton Hill substations to the East and VELCO’s Windsor and Coolidge (Cavendish) substations to the West, for a total of four key transmission lines. In this part of the system, VELCO’s transmission network provides service to Windsor county sub-transmission systems which include CVPS and Green Mountain Power’s (GMP) customers, and connects to the New England transmission network in New Hampshire. Failures of key transmission components would cause low voltage violations, voltage instability/collapse, or thermal overloads, which could result in extended outages for any of the areas served by the transmission system.
As outlined in VELCO’s 2009 Long-Range Plan, a lack of redundant transmission paths and the vulnerability of the current substation design result in system reliability problems, which under certain circumstances, may lead to loss of service and system outages. Planning studies by VELCO and ISO New England, Inc. (the operator of the New England bulk electric system), reveal that the existing Ascutney 115 kV substation does not meet current federally mandated reliability requirements. Specifically, the system cannot meet required reliability criteria because a bus fault (fault with a breaker failure to open), will result in system voltage violations and possible low voltage collapse (outage). These concerns can be addressed by constructing the substation using a redundant design. Examples are called a “ring bus”, or a “breaker-and-a-half” substation design.
Figure 1 - Area affected by the transmission deficiency
Attachment A – Project Overview
Vermont Electric Power Company, Inc. 3 | P a g e 366 Pinnacle Ridge Rd, Rutland VT 05701
Rebuilding the Ascutney substation from the existing radial bus design to a new “six-breaker” substation to connect the four 115kV lines serving central Vermont will correct current existing reliability criteria violations that result from having a design that can lead to outages from the failure of a single transmission element.
The Ascutney substation upgrade was identified in VELCO’s 2009 Long-Range Transmission Plan. Since the Long-Range Plan was issued, VELCO has continued to assess the area’s transmission need by conducting additional planning studies to select the best transmission solution. At this time, VELCO is proposing to install the breaker-and-a-half substation upgrade at a new Ascutney Substation site (situated approximately one mile southeast of the existing substation property on a developed parcel owned by Daniels Construction Company on Route 5 in Weathersfield), because the existing Ascutney substation parcel does not have sufficient space to accommodate these changes. Alternative sites were evaluated and the proposed site was chosen because of its lower environmental impact, as well as its proximity to the existing transmission lines that will interconnect with the new substation. Additionally, the new substation design and layout at the proposed site include the relocation of the existing 115kV/46kV transformer which connects to CVPS’ sub-transmission system, as well as provisions for the installation of a potential future VELCO transformer, as described in VELCO’s 2009 Long Range Plan. The existing CVPS 46 kV substation equipment used to serve CVPS’s area sub-transmission network will remain at the existing Ascutney substation. In addition, the study that ISO-NE, the regional system operator, is currently conducting to assess the needs of the Vermont and New Hampshire transmission systems suggests that there will likely be a need for transmission reinforcements in the Ascutney area that would require a more robust substation design in the near future.
III. Discussion on Alternatives Evaluated
VELCO and its experts have reviewed the need for this Project and have determined that the reconstruction of the substation is an effective way to address the reliability deficiencies. The proposed transmission solution was presented and the proposed plan application approved by ISO New England on November 22, 2010.
Alternatives to transmission upgrades, including energy efficiency and new generation, are currently under review in collaboration with the Vermont System Planning Committee (VSPC). The Committee and its associated planning process represent a new approach to addressing reliability issues in Vermont’s electric transmission system. The process is designed to facilitate full, fair and timely consideration of cost-effective non-transmission alternatives NTAs to new transmission projects. The Committee facilitates collaboration among utilities and increases transparency of the process, while involving the public in decisions about alternatives.
The members of the VSPC include: representatives from each Vermont electric distribution and transmission utility; and three public members representing residential, commercial and industrial consumers, and environmental protection, respectively. In addition, three non-voting members participate in the VSPC, including Vermont's Energy Efficiency Utility, the Sustainably Priced
Attachment A – Project Overview
Vermont Electric Power Company, Inc. 4 | P a g e 366 Pinnacle Ridge Rd, Rutland VT 05701
Energy Enterprise Development (SPEED) Facilitator, and the Vermont Department of Public Service. The VSPC structure and planning process was developed through a settlement negotiated in Docket 7081, the PSB’s investigation of least-cost integrated resource planning for VELCO.
An initial evaluation of the transmission system deficiency in the Ascutney area by the VSPC demonstrated that non-transmission alternatives were not viable to address the transmission system’s deficiency. Energy efficiency appeared to be insufficient to resolve the problem. Generation, however, including combustion turbines and distributed generation, may be technically viable, but are expected to be uneconomical based on the recent studies conducted by VELCO’s consultants and as the initial NTA’s screening indicated. In addition to higher costs, generation solutions also face potential feasibility issues such as air emission, noise, and traffic impacts associated with the construction and operation of a new generator.
In conclusion, based on current information, prudent planning indicates that VELCO should seek approval of the Ascutney Substation Upgrade at this time while including the final analysis of generation alternatives in filing for Project approval with the PSB. As requested by the VSPC, a refined NTA analysis is being finalized and will be presented to the committee early March, 2011.
IV. Description of the Substation Upgrade
The proposed Project includes rebuilding VELCO’s 115kV Ascutney substation southeast of the existing site and adjacent to the existing 115kV transmission lines it will interconnect to. The substation will include high voltage equipment and a control building enclosed in a fenced area as depicted in Attachment C. The substation will be approximately 2.7 acres. The substation design will be a “ring bus” configuration in accordance with ISO New England substation bus arrangement guidelines, including six 115kV breakers connected to the aluminum bus structure where four 115kV lines and the existing transformer will terminate. Some provisions will be made for the addition of a future 115kV to 46kV transformer interconnecting VELCO’s 115kV network to CVPS’s sub-transmission system. Provision will also be made for future 115kV - 25 MVAR capacitor banks which will connect to the substation aluminum bus structure as well. Construction is expected to take place in late winter of 2011 or early spring of 2012 with a targeted completion date of December 2012.
As part of this project, VELCO will also install new 115kV and 46kV line structures (poles) within an existing transmission corridor, in order to connect the new substation to the existing transmission lines and CVPS’s 46kV network. Preliminary project engineering shows the proposed alignments and substation’s location in Attachment C. VELCO owned components of the existing Ascutney substation will be decommissioned and the existing equipment retired as part of this project. Attachments D-1 and D-2 depict “Line of Sight Cross-Section” to the future substation as seen from various public viewpoints.
Attachment A – Project Overview
Vermont Electric Power Company, Inc. 5 | P a g e 366 Pinnacle Ridge Rd, Rutland VT 05701
V. Project’s Impact a. Aesthetics
Both the Vermont Natural Resources Board and the PSB utilize the so-called Quechee Lakes standard (set forth in the decision Quechee Lakes Corporation, #3EW0411-EB and #3O439- EB (1986)) to guide their aesthetics analysis. According to the Quechee Lakes standard, regulators must first determine whether a project will have an adverse impact on aesthetics and scenic and natural beauty. A project has an adverse impact if it is out of character with its surroundings. Specific factors that regulators use to make this evaluation include the nature of the project surroundings, the compatibility of the project design with those surroundings, the suitability of the project colors and materials with the immediate environment, the visibility of the project, and the impact of the project on open space. If regulators conclude that a project will have an adverse effect, the next step in the two-part test, is to determine whether the adverse effect of the project is “undue.” The adverse effect is considered undue when regulators find that any one of the following factors is affirmatively answered: (1) Does the project violate a clear, written community standard intended to preserve the aesthetics or scenic beauty of the area? (2) Have the applicants failed to take generally available mitigating steps which a reasonable person would take to improve the harmony of the project with its surroundings? (3) Does the project offend the sensibilities of the average person? Is it offensive or shocking because it is out of character with its surroundings or significantly diminishes the scenic qualities of the area? For transmission upgrades, the PSB’s aesthetic analysis, however, does not end with the results of the Quechee test. In addition, the PSB’s aesthetic assessment is “significantly informed by overall societal benefits of the project.” PSB Docket No. 6860, Order of 1/28/05 (footnotes omitted).
VELCO’s aesthetic consultant, T. J. Boyle Associates, LLC (TJB), a landscape architecture and planning firm, has reviewed the preliminary design plans and performed a visual analysis of the areas of the proposed Project upgrades. TJB has reported in their preliminary findings that Project upgrades will have limited visibility from surrounding public vantage points.
TJB’s preliminary analysis shows limited potential visibility to the proposed substation from Route 5, Interstate 91 and from the adjacent residential neighborhood along Tenney Hill Road. The analysis also found potential for visibility of line upgrades east of Interstate 91 from these locations. Attachment D, cross sections and accompanying location map, illustrate ‘Line of Sight’ from Route 5, the Connecticut River, Interstate 91 and Tenney Hill Road. Section A shows potential views from Route 5, northeast of the substation, along the existing access road to the site and represents potential views for a very limited portion of Route 5. Section B illustrates views along the transmission corridor from the Connecticut River and Route 5. The substation, shown in this section, will be offset from the ROW and will be screened by existing vegetation. The last section, Section C shows line of sight from Interstate 91 and from the adjacent residential neighborhood. Views of the substation from these locations will also be mostly screened by existing vegetation. Landscape mitigation plantings will be proposed to help screen views that are
Attachment A – Project Overview
Vermont Electric Power Company, Inc. 6 | P a g e 366 Pinnacle Ridge Rd, Rutland VT 05701
created to the substation and to also help screen visibility of the line upgrades. Due to the increased potential for visibility of line improvements, attention will also be given to the style and location of transmission line structures, and in particular the angle structures for the lines to access the new substation.
A detailed report with proposed landscaping mitigation measures will be included with the Petition to be filed this spring.
b. Noise
VELCO will conduct noise analysis to ensure that sound levels from operations of the new substation are at or below PSB acceptable levels. A complete engineering noise analysis will be provided as part of the Project filing with the PSB.
VI. Anticipated Project Filing Date with Vermont Public Service Board
A Petition is currently expected to be filed with the PSB seeking a Certificate of Public Good for the Project on April 4, 2011.
VII. Right of the Local and Regional Planning Commissions to Comment on the Project Plans
Vermont law section 248(f) of Title 30 gives municipal and regional planning commissions the right to receive this notice and make recommendations to the PSB and to the Applicant at least seven days prior to the planned filing of the Petition with the PSB. We request comments to be submitted by March 28, 2011 which is seven days prior to the anticipated April 4, 2011 filing date. You also have the right to make revised recommendations within 45 days after the date the Petition is filed with the PSB, if the Petition contains new or more detailed information that was not previously included in these plans.
For additional information regarding this process, including your planning commission’s right to participate in the PSB’s proceeding, please refer to the “Guide to the Vermont Public Service Board’s Section 248 Process” which can be found at http://www.state.vt.us/psb/ under the link “For Consumers and the Public.”
As the Project is still in the design phase, we will continue to have discussions and expect to receive feedback on this Project from various stakeholders. Please note that the PSB Petition, as well as other pertinent Project updates, will be posted on VELCO’s website at: http://www.velco.com/ under “Ascutney” in the “Projects” section. If you are interested in a presentation on this Project, or have comments or want to request further information, please contact Jose Sebastiao, the Project Manager for this Project, at 802-770-6495 or [email protected].
GIS viewshed mapping is a preliminary means of visual analysis.While beneficial for preliminary orientation and investigation,because of data assumptions and omissions, viewshed maps arenot a definitive indication of visibility. Potential visibility needs to beconfirmed through field investigation and other visualizationtechniques.