Duke-American Transmission Co. (DATC) is hosting a series of open houses to seek public feedback on its proposed route for the Zephyr Power Transmission Project, an approximately 850-mi transmission line that would deliver wind energy generated in eastern Wyoming to population centers in the southwestern U.S.
As proposed, the Zephyr project will begin at the Pathfinder Wind Energy Development near Chugwater, Wyo., cross portions of Colorado and Utah, and terminate near the Eldorado Valley, just south of Las Vegas. The 500-kV high-voltage direct current transmission line will include converter stations at each end point. The proposed route was developed over the past several years, and included identification and review of more than 200 environmental and land use constraints. Approximately 80 percent of the route follows existing utility or federal corridors, with 20 percent on proposed future utility routes.
“We are hosting open houses in 18 communities along the proposed route to provide potential landowners and interested stakeholders with more information about the project, answer questions and seek feedback,” said Chris Jones, Zephyr project director. “We want to initiate this dialogue early in the project’s development to solicit input on possible constraints and issues that we should consider prior to the permitting process. We invite everyone who could be impacted by the project to get involved.”
Following the open houses, the public’s feedback will be considered in finalizing the route before DATC initiates right-of-way permitting and regulatory review later this year. If approved, project construction would begin in 2017 with a targeted in-service date of 2020.
More project information, including maps, is available at: www.ZephyrTransmissionProject.com
Duke-American Transmission Co. is a joint venture between Duke Energy and American Transmission Co. formed in 2011 to plan and develop strategic transmission projects across the U.S. and Canada. For more information, visit: www.datcllc.com.
