PLAINFIELD, IND. - Duke Energy has announced the route for a new high-voltage power line in Vigo County.
The power line, which will connect the Dresser substation on Darwin Road to the company's Wabash River Generating Station in West Terre Haute, will provide additional power capacity to customers in western Indiana. It will help replace the power which will not be available when four of the generating units at Wabash River Station are retired. It will also improve reliability by offering an alternate route for power in the event other power lines suffer damage or require routine maintenance.
"Our goal is to minimize the impact of this new power line to property owners in western Vigo County," said Rick Burger, community relations manager for Vigo County. "We carefully considered the input we received from various stakeholders, including those who attended our information open house on March 24. We believe this route is the best overall choice for the community, the environment and the project."
The new power line will generally run north from the Dresser substation along existing Duke Energy right of way to Gannon Road. It will continue north, crossing Concannon Avenue and Thralls Avenue. North of Thralls Avenue, the route turns east toward Wabash River Station. The route is approximately 11 miles in length.
During late summer or early fall 2014, Duke Energy land acquisition agents will start contacting affected property owners to discuss the need for land surveys and any additional easements. When those contacts are made, the agents will describe the process for acquiring land rights and answer any questions the property owners may have.
Construction of the new power line is expected to begin in the second half of 2015. The line should be in service by summer 2016.
Duke Energy Indiana's operations provide about 7,500 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 800,000 customers in a 23,000-square-mile service area, making it the state's largest electric supplier. More information about the company is available at: www.duke-energy.com.