New line will need months to plan

The Galloo Island Wind Farm will take several months to work out details on a new route for a transmission line from the island.

Upstate NY Power Corp. agreed with Jefferson County legislators to change its preferred route from one in which the line would make landfall on Stony Point and traverse the southern part of the county on the way to a substation in the town of Mexico.

The new route would make landfall, probably in Hounsfield, and run to a National Grid substation on outer Coffeen Street in the town of Watertown.

The developer must see if that path and an upgrade to the substation is feasible and submit the route information to the state's Public Service Commission. The PSC oversees utilities and the state's wholesale electric grid. Upstate NY Power already has begun an Article VII process with the PSC for approval of an exact route.

Upstate NY Power attorney Robert W. Burgdorf, Nixon Peabody, Rochester, said in an e-mail Tuesday that the developer understands the community's desire for the route to Coffeen Street and a smaller 115-kilovolt line, as opposed to the 230-kilvolt line in the original proposal.

"To that end, the Company is engaging in extensive feasibility studies for this possible alternative, which studies will take many months to complete," he wrote. "The information will be submitted to the PSC as part of the thorough PSC review process, which process includes local input."

Jefferson County legislators passed a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement for the wind farm after assurances that the route would change from the southern Jefferson County one. They were concerned they would be faced with votes on eminent domain for the line.

According to a schedule set by the administrative law judge handling the Article VII proceedings, Upstate NY Power Corp. has until May 7 to file alternative routes.

James A. Denn, spokesman for the Public Service Commission, said the developer has not yet amended its petition, a necessary step in the process.

National Grid owns the Coffeen Street substation and power lines that run from the station south. It would maintain ownership after any upgrades.

"National Grid hasn't yet evaluated what changes would need to be made to handle the power load," spokeswoman Courtney A. Quatrino said. "It will take quite some time to determine what would need to happen."

The utility's engineering department will visit the substation and make that determination over the next few months.