News
SunZia to help stranded renewable energy
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| Ian Calkins, speaking for SunZia, shows the proposed route. (Carol Broeder/ARN) |
By Carol Broeder/Arizona Range News
Area residents attended a scoping meeting last Monday in Willcox regarding the SunZia Southwest Transmission Project.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) held the meeting at Valley Telecom to discuss potential routes for the proposed high-voltage power lines.
SunZia plans to construct a 460-mile high-voltage power transmission line across southern Arizona and New Mexico.
The project would primarily transport electricity generated from renewable energy to western power markets, such as Phoenix, Tucson, California, and Southern Nevada.
It will either be one high-voltage 500 kilovolt (kv) line or two parallel lines, said External Affairs Chief Hans Stuart with the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Adrian Garcia, with the BLM's New Mexico State Office, said he found meeting attendees to be "favorable on the concept of renewable energy," although some were "concerned about disturbing the landscape."
"Let's just do two because we need them," said Earl Moser of Willcox, pointing to a picture of the proposed parallel lines.
"This nation needs a bunch of them. Private industry can get it done if government would just grease the wheels," he said.
SunZia's proposed route would originate from a new substation site in either Socorro or Lincoln Counties in New Mexico and would end in Pinal County, Ariz., Stuart said.
Ian Calkins, a SunZia spokesman, said the purpose of the meeting was to inform the public about the project and its proposed route, as well as the alternate routes that had been chosen.
A couple of years ago, the Southwest Area Transmission (SWAT) group had met to "talk about the transmission grid," he said.
They determined there was a tremendous need for improvement in high-voltage transmission in southern Arizona and New Mexico.
"Right now, the renewable energy is stranded," said Calkins, referring to wind-powered energy development in New Mexico, "where we could tap into constant wind," and solar development in Arizona.
"We asked ourselves where is the sunshine non-stop, 365 days per year," said Calkins. "We found the highest (solar) value in Southern Arizona."
"Right now these are stranded resources," he added.
The power lines and substations proposed by SunZia would be placed in areas that would allow renewable energy sources in both states to be tapped.
"We, the applicant, believe this is the most desirable pathway to take," Calkins told the Range News.
"However, what we think is the most desirable pathway might not be to someone else," he added.
Calkins said the SunZia project has a number of partners - Southwestern Power Group, Salt River Project, Tucson Electric Power, Energy Capital Partners, and Shell Wind Energy.
He talked about a mandate by the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC), requiring that by 2025, utilities have 15 percent of electric energy from renewable power. He said there's talk of increasing that percentage.
"We believe this project will help Arizona utilities achieve this mandate," he told the Range News.
"It's a project that needs to be done," said Project Manager Tom Wray for the SunZia Southwest Transmission Project.
He said that there are wind farms producing "12,000 to 15,000 megawatts of Class Four and Five wind that is stranded because there is no transmission to move it out now."
Wray said the Willcox area receives "7.0 and 7.5 kilowatt hours per square meter per day of insolation, but needs transmission to move it."
"Think of them as freeway off and on ramps to access this renewable energy," he told the Range News.
Wray is also Manager of Generation and Transmission Projects for SouthWestern Power Group in Phoenix.
Asked about implications for the Bowie Power Station, Wray said that while "Bowie doesn't need SunZia, they would be tied together electrically."
Tucson and Phoenix would become primary markets for power generated by the Bowie Power Plant, he said.
SunZia's proposed line - or parallel lines - would be located on federal, state, and private lands.
Maps on display around the Valley Telecom conference room that evening showed the preferred path coming into southern Arizona just north of Bowie, tying into a new "Willow Substation" in Graham County.
Most of the alternative routes show the line passing through the Willcox area, and either up the San Pedro River or through the Klondyke area.
The BLM's Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process will study likely impacts from the project and identify ways to avoid and minimize them.
Once the EIS is complete, SunZia will be able to move forward to construct its transmission line.
The project timeline shows a draft EIS in Summer 2010, and a final version in Spring 2011, with construction and operation beginning in 2013, Calkins told the Range News.
The final agency decision for the proposed route, which would involve decisions of federal right-of-way designations, will only affect public lands administered by the BLM.
In addition to comments given at each meeting, comments can also be made to the BLM via the BLM Project Website at http://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/prog/more/lands_realty.html, via the project e-mail address at NMSunZiaProject@blm.gov, or in writing to the Bureau of Land Management, SunZia Transmission Line Project, and P.O. Box 27115, Santa Fe, NM 87502-0115.
(Editor's Note: Contributing writer Jennifer Farris with the Eastern Arizona Courier contributed to this report.)
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) held the meeting at Valley Telecom to discuss potential routes for the proposed high-voltage power lines.
SunZia plans to construct a 460-mile high-voltage power transmission line across southern Arizona and New Mexico.
The project would primarily transport electricity generated from renewable energy to western power markets, such as Phoenix, Tucson, California, and Southern Nevada.
It will either be one high-voltage 500 kilovolt (kv) line or two parallel lines, said External Affairs Chief Hans Stuart with the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Adrian Garcia, with the BLM's New Mexico State Office, said he found meeting attendees to be "favorable on the concept of renewable energy," although some were "concerned about disturbing the landscape."
"Let's just do two because we need them," said Earl Moser of Willcox, pointing to a picture of the proposed parallel lines.
"This nation needs a bunch of them. Private industry can get it done if government would just grease the wheels," he said.
SunZia's proposed route would originate from a new substation site in either Socorro or Lincoln Counties in New Mexico and would end in Pinal County, Ariz., Stuart said.
Ian Calkins, a SunZia spokesman, said the purpose of the meeting was to inform the public about the project and its proposed route, as well as the alternate routes that had been chosen.
A couple of years ago, the Southwest Area Transmission (SWAT) group had met to "talk about the transmission grid," he said.
They determined there was a tremendous need for improvement in high-voltage transmission in southern Arizona and New Mexico.
"Right now, the renewable energy is stranded," said Calkins, referring to wind-powered energy development in New Mexico, "where we could tap into constant wind," and solar development in Arizona.
"We asked ourselves where is the sunshine non-stop, 365 days per year," said Calkins. "We found the highest (solar) value in Southern Arizona."
"Right now these are stranded resources," he added.
The power lines and substations proposed by SunZia would be placed in areas that would allow renewable energy sources in both states to be tapped.
"We, the applicant, believe this is the most desirable pathway to take," Calkins told the Range News.
"However, what we think is the most desirable pathway might not be to someone else," he added.
Calkins said the SunZia project has a number of partners - Southwestern Power Group, Salt River Project, Tucson Electric Power, Energy Capital Partners, and Shell Wind Energy.
He talked about a mandate by the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC), requiring that by 2025, utilities have 15 percent of electric energy from renewable power. He said there's talk of increasing that percentage.
"We believe this project will help Arizona utilities achieve this mandate," he told the Range News.
"It's a project that needs to be done," said Project Manager Tom Wray for the SunZia Southwest Transmission Project.
He said that there are wind farms producing "12,000 to 15,000 megawatts of Class Four and Five wind that is stranded because there is no transmission to move it out now."
Wray said the Willcox area receives "7.0 and 7.5 kilowatt hours per square meter per day of insolation, but needs transmission to move it."
"Think of them as freeway off and on ramps to access this renewable energy," he told the Range News.
Wray is also Manager of Generation and Transmission Projects for SouthWestern Power Group in Phoenix.
Asked about implications for the Bowie Power Station, Wray said that while "Bowie doesn't need SunZia, they would be tied together electrically."
Tucson and Phoenix would become primary markets for power generated by the Bowie Power Plant, he said.
SunZia's proposed line - or parallel lines - would be located on federal, state, and private lands.
Maps on display around the Valley Telecom conference room that evening showed the preferred path coming into southern Arizona just north of Bowie, tying into a new "Willow Substation" in Graham County.
Most of the alternative routes show the line passing through the Willcox area, and either up the San Pedro River or through the Klondyke area.
The BLM's Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process will study likely impacts from the project and identify ways to avoid and minimize them.
Once the EIS is complete, SunZia will be able to move forward to construct its transmission line.
The project timeline shows a draft EIS in Summer 2010, and a final version in Spring 2011, with construction and operation beginning in 2013, Calkins told the Range News.
The final agency decision for the proposed route, which would involve decisions of federal right-of-way designations, will only affect public lands administered by the BLM.
In addition to comments given at each meeting, comments can also be made to the BLM via the BLM Project Website at http://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/prog/more/lands_realty.html, via the project e-mail address at NMSunZiaProject@blm.gov, or in writing to the Bureau of Land Management, SunZia Transmission Line Project, and P.O. Box 27115, Santa Fe, NM 87502-0115.
(Editor's Note: Contributing writer Jennifer Farris with the Eastern Arizona Courier contributed to this report.)
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