Idaho Power resumed planning of a controversial transmission line from Hailey to Ketchum last week after not saying much over the summer.
Lynette Berriochoa, Idaho Power's project information specialist, said the company is still at the brainstorming stage but held its first project meeting last week among its engineers, permitting team and community involvement planners. She said they discussed upcoming steps to extend a line from the Wood River Transmission Station in Hailey to the Ketchum substation, a move that has garnered much attention for more than a year.
The controversy doesn't come from whether the area needs the 138,000-volt power line. Only one line feeds every business and home north of Hailey, and when that line goes out, there's no other option, Berriochoa said.
"There's been some weather-related outages lately," she said. "Those could have been avoided if this were installed."
Outage scenarios could be much worse, even dangerous, since most outages occur in the cold of winter and could be extensive without a backup line.
Plus, the sole existing line is about 46 years old and running at capacity.
Community opinion differs on whether the line—to follow Highway 75—should be placed on tall poles alongside the 35- to 55-foot-tall existing line, or be installed underground. Some argue the traditional avenue of pole-strung lines would damage the appeal of the area and should be avoided at all costs. But the current alternative of underground lines would be 10 times more expensive at $35 million to $42 million, if done for the entire 14-mile stretch, according to Idaho Power estimates.
Berriochoa said Idaho Power would pass that bill to area customers since underground placement would be for only aesthetic reasons. She said costs of normal pole installation wouldn't be applied to just locals but would be included in Idaho Power's rate base for the entire state.
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For that reason, Berriochoa said public input will play a big role in decisions for the new line during coming months, and people will have many opportunities to voice their opinions.
The company will organize open houses and public hearings and reforming its Community Advisory Committee. Idaho Power organized the 20-person committee in 2007 to create a plan for meeting the Wood River Valley's long-term electricity needs, but it has since disbanded.
The committee was made up of residents, city council members, city planners, county commissioners, business leaders and growth planners. They're the ones who made the new transmission line a top priority for the valley, decided on the Highway 75 route, and brought up the underground-line option. But the committee never made a decision on whether to put lines underground or not.
The re-established committee will consist of both old and new faces. And it will eventually make these final decisions after taking into account public comment.
Berriochoa said Idaho Power hopes to have a final route designated about a year from now that complies with engineering requirements and environmental considerations. She said construction should begin in 2012, wrapping up sometime in 2013.
Much of the work leading up to construction will be on the hands of Community Advisory Committee members, like Sun Valley City Council President Nils Ribi, a former member and potential future member. He said that as a compromise, the line might be underground in some key places and above ground in others.
Ribi said that one way or another, another electric line will be built.
"Our north-based economy is dependent on electricity," he said, mentioning the ski lifts.
More than anything, he said, it's a health-and-safety issue.
"Even those with gas heat rely on electric fans," he said. "If we lose our only source of power in the winter, we'd be in big trouble."
Trevon Milliard: tmilliard@mtexpress.com
The new 138,000-volt power line planned between Hailey and Ketchum could look something like this stretch between Woodside and Hailey, if it’s built parallel to the existing line along Highway 75. Talk has circulated about putting the line underground. Express photo by Mark Oliver
