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Underground Transmission Lines at Dominion Virginia Power Update for the Joint Committee on Technology and Science Presented by: Kevin Curtis Dominion Virginia Power Director – Electric Transmission Planning August 5, 2009. August 5, 2009.
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Underground Transmission Lines at Dominion Virginia Power Update for the Joint Committee on Technology and SciencePresented by: Kevin Curtis Dominion Virginia Power Director – Electric Transmission Planning August 5, 2009 August 5, 2009
Approved Underground (UG) Transmission Projects Currently Under Construction • Garrisonville (Stafford Co.) – dual 230,000 volt lines • Clarendon/Ballston (Arlington) – 230,000/69,000 volt lines Future UG Construction (2010) – HB1319 projects • Pleasant View/Hamilton (Leesburg, Loudoun Co.) – 230,000 volts • NIVO Substation (Ashburn area, Loudoun Co.) – 230,000 volts
Related UG Legislation in Virginia • HB1319 – Delegate May • Allows for four UG transmission pilot projects in Virginia • Two approved to date • HB1729 – Delegate Cole • Structure for customers in local jurisdictions to pay for UG transmission • Authorizes the governing body of any locality to enter into an agreement with an electric utility that provides that the locality will impose an assessment on customers in a special rate district to cover the utility's additional costs of constructing, operating, and maintaining the proposed line as an underground rather than an overhead line
Garrisonville (Stafford County): 230kV • SCC Final Order for UG in April 2008 • Just north of Fredericksburg • Target Date – 2010 230kV double circuit line Aquia Harbor Sub. Garrisonville Sub. Fredericksburg
Garrisonville Project – Understanding UG Construction • Project Overview • 5.5 mile double circuit (11 line miles) • Serves new substation in Garrisonville area • Utilizing XLPE (cross-link polyethylene) cable – 6 cables/line (12 total) • Work began in December of 2008 – 25% complete • Cost Breakdown • Overhead estimate - $14M ($1.3M/mile) • Underground projection - $120M ($11M/line mile) • - 8.5 times cost of overhead
Garrisonville Project – cont’d • Construction Overview • Rolling terrain and rocky soil conditions • Interstate and highway crossings • Trenching and horizontal directional drilling (HDD) • - 70% trenching • Continuous excavation along right of way • Two 5-foot trenches separated by 20 feet • Conduits encased in concrete • - 30% drilling • Right of way clearing required for installation of conduits • Four 42-inch holes: each requires 3 passes – 12”, 28”, 42” • Conduits encased in grout-type mixture
Garrisonville Project: Trenching configuration Line #1 Line #2
Garrisonville Project: Drilled hole configuration Line #1 Line #2
Garrisonville Project – cont’d Construction Challenges • Terrain and road crossings – requires drilling ($$) • Soil conditions • - Drill rates • Slow progress - 6 inches per hour in some locations • Took three months to drill first of 4 holes under Interstate 95 • - “Frac-out” – drilling mud eruptions in “proximity” of drill site • 100,000’s of gallons at 100+ locations • Drilling stops until all material recovered and site cleaned up • - Sink holes • Noise/vibration of drilling equipment has become problematic for some residents and businesses • Weather – extensive rain affects drilling and trenching
Garrisonville Project – cont’d • Cost Drivers • Construction complexity of UG requires more time and personnel • - 18-24 months • - 150 personnel • Cable prices • - $850/line foot (for each set of 6 cables), $4.5M/mile for each line • Rolling terrain requires drilling which adds significant cost • Soil conditions (drilling rate and frac-out) • Right of way acquisition: previously purchased easements were for overhead line - did not have UG easements
Cable splice connections in vault(located every 1800 feet due to cable length limitations)
Arlington Area – Clarendon/Ballston/Rosslyn: 230/69kV UG • 2.5 miles • $60M • Located in streets • XLPE cable • Extensive community information effort • Target Date – October 2009 Rosslyn Sub. 69kV lines Clarendon Sub. Ballston Sub. 230kV and 69kV lines
Arlington Area – Clarendon/Ballston/Rosslyn: 230/69kV UG • Picture
Pleasant View – Hamilton: 230kV Partial UG • 12 miles total • 2 miles of UG • $107M total • HB1319 pilot project • New substation • XLPE cable • Target Date – • Oct 2010 2 miles of UG along the W&OD Trail Hamilton Sub. Pleasant View Sub.
NIVO Substation – 230 kV Underground (DuPont Fabros Data Center Expansion) • 3/4 mile • $11M • HB 1319 UG pilot • XLPE cable • Double circuit & new substation • 200 MWload • Target Date: April 2010 Ashburn Beaumeade Sub. NIVO Sub. Sterling 24