UTILITIES - ELECTRIC; LONG ISLAND SOUND;

You asked for information on phase 2 of Connecticut Light & Power’s (CL&P) transmission line proposal, running from Middletown to Norwalk. OLR memo 2001-R-0823 provides information on phase 1 of this project, running from Bethel to Norwalk.

Phase 2 of the line would carry 345 kilovolts (345,000 volts) of power from Norwalk to Middletown. CL&P has not yet applied to the Connecticut Siting Council for a certificate to build this phase of the line, and has not yet identified a preferred route. CL&P staff anticipate that the line would connect power plants in Norwalk, Bridgeport, Milford, Wallingford, and Middletown. The company has identified 64 alternative routes, some of which would run along Interstates 95 and 91, local streets, and railroad lines. It is reviewing these routes to determine their feasibility, impact on the environment and municipalities, and costs. CL&P anticipates that the line would use a mix of monopoles, which range from 98 to 130 feet tall, and H-frame towers, which are somewhat shorter. CL&P also anticipates that part of the line, notably in urbanized areas such as Bridgeport, would be placed underground. CL&P estimates that the line would be approximately 70 miles long.

CL&P has begun discussion with municipalities that might be affected by the line. Running from west to east, these are: Middletown, Middlefield, Meriden, Wallingford, Cheshire, Haddam, Durham, Hamden, Bethany, Woodbridge, Orange, West Haven, North Haven, New Haven, Milford, Stratford, Trumbull, Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Weston, Wilton, Westport, and Norwalk. CL&P anticipates that it will begin formal consultations with affected municipalities, as required by CGS § 16-50l, in early May and submit its application to the Connecticut Siting Council in August.

CL&P estimates that the line would cost approximately $ 400 million. The project would take several years to complete if approved by the council and the Department of Environmental Protection. The company hopes to complete most, if not all, of the project by December 2007. Under Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rules, the costs of those parts of the line put into service by this date would be spread among all New England ratepayers. Connecticut rates would bear the costs of those parts of the project completed after this date. The actual completion date would depend on many factors, including the amount of time needed to obtain regulatory approvals, order equipment, and construct the line. Further information about the proposal is available from a CL&P Website, http: //www. transmission-nu. com/residential/projects/middletown/default. asp.

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