| CONCLUSIONS
& SUMMARIES
Direct Testimony
VT Department of Public Service &
VT Department of Health
Submitted to the Public
Service Board on April 11, 2005
Overview
The Vermont Department
of Public Service (DPS) testimony in the direct phase
of Docket 7032 recommends that the Lamoille Transmission Upgrade
Project (LTUP), referred to in the DPS testimony as the Lamoille
County Project, be approved by the Public
Service Board (PSB) with some modifications to address
aesthetic concerns.
The
DPS testifies that the project is needed both to improve reliability
of the existing electrical network and to permit economic
growth in and around the region for which the project is being
designed.
DPS
concludes that the project meets the criteria for the Board
to grant a Certificate of
Public Good under Title 30 Vermont Statutes Section
248 once appropriate modifications have been made to the
project.
The
DPS concludes that the project will have an adverse impact
on aesthetics that is undue in some locations and that mitigation
measures will be needed.
However,
it concludes that there are no compelling health concerns
requiring modification of the proposal.
Therefore, the DPS recommends that the PSB issue a Certificate
of Public Good with recommended changes as specified in the
DPS testimony.
Below
are the DPS’s conclusions by topic followed by a summary
of each witnesses’ testimony.
DPS Conclusions by Topic
Load Forecast/System Adequacy:
DPS witness J. Riley Allen concludes that
the proposed project is needed to support project load growth.
The
petitioners provide a forecast of coincident peak load for
the area covered by the project, the Lamoille County Study
Area (LCSA), that shows growth from a current peak of roughly
74 MW (in the winter of 2004/05), to one that is about 19
MW higher in the next 10 years (in the winter of 2014/15).
While
DPS has some concerns with the forecast methods employed by
VELCO and believes that there are opportunities for controlling
the load growth, DPS concludes that a transmission solution
is needed even at existing loads, and that the forecasted
loads are not unreasonable. The LCSA region is experiencing
significant growth at this time and warrants immediate attention.
The forecasts presented are not unreasonable when informed
by recent patterns of growth, current plans for development
in the Stowe community and the LCSA region, and generally
the longer-term patterns of development in Stowe and Vermont
generally. [full testimony]
[summary of testimony]
Economic Benefit:
DPS witnesses Sean Foley and George Smith
conclude that the project will provide economic benefits to
the State of Vermont. The
primary benefit of the project to Vermont is in improving
network reliability and permitting growth in and around the
region for which the project is being designed.
The
DPS reviewed a number of economic impacts related to the project,
including the overall rate impacts, a major project in Stowe
that will depend on the electricity, impacts on property values,
tax collection, and the costs and impacts of unreliable transmission
system services. The DPS concludes that the LTUP will provide
an economic benefit to the state.
[full testimony] [summary
of testimony]
Technical Merit, Stability and
Reliability, Cost:
DPS witness George E. Smith considered the
need for the proposed project in relation to least-cost criteria
and system stability and reliability. With respect to the
issue of reliability, the DPS recommends that the LCSA transmission
and sub-transmission network be maintained at levels that
assure reliable service to all customers supplied by the area
sub-transmission system for loss of any single transmission
line section or for a loss of a primary supply source to the
area.
The
DPS reviewed the proposed 115 kV transmission system upgrade
from the standpoint of industry best practices and concludes
the proposed solution meets the needs—well into the
future—for “all-lines-in” service and that
the proposed solution provides reliable service, under first-contingency
conditions, for load levels of up to 98 MW.
DPS
also concludes that the project meets the standards of least-cost
once appropriate modifications have been made. DPS proposes
alternative structures for a portion of the project. [full
testimony] [summary
of testimony]
Aesthetic
and Related Impacts:
DPS witness David Raphael concludes that
the LTUP, as proposed by VELCO and the petitioners, will have
an adverse impact on aesthetics that is undue in some locations.
For
each such location, mitigation measures are recommended and,
with such mitigation measures implemented, it can be concluded
that the LTUP’s effect on aesthetics will not be unduly
adverse. For example, DPS believes single pole structures
are feasible and desirable for portions of the 115kV and 34.5kV
circuits north of the Blush Hill tap.
The DPS supports Mr. Raphael’s recommendations in all
but one area. Mr. Raphael concludes that overhead lines crossing
the Waterbury Reservoir as proposed will not only be adverse,
but unduly adverse. Mr. Raphael proposes undergrounding of
the line instead which would add an extraordinary cost in
proportion to the project and may present an unreasonable
burden on ratepayers. For this reason DPS does not advocate
for the burial of the lines at the reservoir. [full
testimony] [summary
of testimony]
Demand-Side
Management (DSM) and Cost-Effective Alternatives:
DPS witness Carole Welch
concludes that while DSM opportunities could have been more
vigorously pursued as an alternative to the project, DSM does
not provide an adequate alternative to the proposed transmission
project.
DPS
concludes that other alternatives such as rate design, curtailment
arrangements, and distributed generation have not been adequately
explored to their full potential in the region. Nevertheless,
such opportunities are likely to have small impacts in relation
to the patterns of growth and therefore are not likely to
alter the conclusion that the proposed project is needed.
[full testimony] [summary
of testimony]
Electric and Magnetic Fields
(EMF): Carla A.
White and Lawrence Crist from the Vermont Department
of Health testify on behalf of the DPS that there are not
compelling health reasons requiring modifications to the Lamoille
Project related to the concerns over EMF emissions. Ms. White
and Mr. Crist address concerns with the potential implications
on health from elevated levels of electric and magnetic power
frequency field exposure that would result from the VELCO
proposal. [full testimony]
[summary of testimony] |
