Docket No. 217
Connecticut Light and Power Company
Development and Management Plan
Transition Station
Redding, Connecticut
October 26, 2004

On July 2, 2004, the Connecticut Light Power Company (CL&P) submitted to the Connecticut Siting Council (Council) for review and approval the Development and Management (D&M) Plans for transition stations at the following locations: Hoyt’s Hill Road, Bethel, Diamond Hill Road (a.k.a. Flag Lot)/Archers Lane, Redding, and Norwalk Junction, Wilton. This Council staff report will concentrate on the Redding Transition Station site.

Transition stations are facilities that convert electric overhead transmission to underground transmission or vice versa. CL&P has reduced the site compound by about 27 percent from 180 feet by 300 feet to 270 feet by 145. This reduction eliminates shunt reactors and associated noise to nearby residences. The shunt reactors would be installed at the Plumtrees Substation.

Prior to and subsequent of the filing of the D&M Plan for the Diamond Hill Road (a.k.a. Flag Lot)/Archers Lane Transition site both the Town of Redding and CL&P explored siting options for the transition station. In addition, on July 7, 2004, Chairman Pamela B. Katz and S. Derek Phelps and Fred Cunliffe of Council staff met with representatives of CL&P and Town of Redding at the Archer Lane transition station site for further assessment.

The Council approved a transition site at either the Diamond Hill Road site or Archers Lane site and rejected the Archery Range and the Saugatuck Falls Natural Area A and B sites because these sites would require long access roads over steep topography and clearing of open space. Furthermore, the Town of Redding Conservation Commission rejected these sites because of its open space status. The Town of Redding and citizens of the neighborhood adjacent to the transition station evaluated the Diamond Hill, Archers Lane, Archery Range, and the Saugatuck Falls Natural Area A and B sites, part of the Docket 217 decision. In addition to these five sites the Town of Redding evaluated an Archers Lane 2 site substantially similar to the first Archer Lane site which the Council granted approval for a transition station site and a site referred to as the Hardwood Trail site located adjacent to the existing right-of-way approximately 600 north of the Archers Lane site and 1,000 feet north of the Diamond Hill Road site (a.k.a. Flag lot). The Town of Redding conducted an environmental assessment and view shed analysis for Diamond Hill, Archers Lane 2, and Hardwood Trails 2 sites from seven adjacent properties. A view shed analysis was not done beyond the immediate neighborhood.

The Town of Redding and neighbors contend the Hardwood Trails 2 site provides the maximum benefit to abutting property owners. CL&P contends the Diamond Hill Road site is the best site. The Council is advised that the majority of the neighbors prefer the Archers Lane 2 site over the Diamond Hill Road site.

The comparative analyses of the physical features of the sites have been examined at length (see Appendix A). The Hardwood Trail 2 site is located at a higher elevation on a knoll within the Saugatuck Falls Natural Area and could be more visible to other highpoints in Redding which the visibility analysis did not consider. The Archers Lane 2 site is lower in elevation than the Hardwood Trail 2 site and would be constructed within the slope of the hill thereby reducing its visibility. Both sites are within SFNA and would require some open space compensation, pursuant to DEP regulations, by the Town and/or CL&P for developing the this site and to date no decision has been made in this matter. Furthermore, the Redding Conservation Commission initially rejected any use of open space but is presently in favor of the Hardwood Trail 2 or Archers Lane 2 sites. The Hardwood Trail 2 site would require more than 2,000 feet of additional cable and Archers Lane 2 site would add 1,200 feet of cable, both more than twice that of the Diamond Hill Road site, and would impact the capacitance of the transmission line as a whole. The capacitance of the HPFF transmission cable is about 18 megavars per mile and the additional 2,000 feet would add about 7 MVARS and the 1,200 feet would add about 4 MVARS. This difference does not appear to be significant and such a change could be mitigated.

The access road to the Hardwood Trail 2 site would need substantial fill to compensate for steeper slopes than Archers Lane 2 or Diamond Hill Road sites. The Archers Lane 2 site has much more removal of soil but would place it further from residences than the Diamond Hill Road site and be built into a wooded hillside. Vegetative clearing would be the greatest for Diamond Hill Road site for expanded right-of-ways required for interconnection to the transition station. Moving further east to either the Archers Lane 2 or Hardwood Trail 2 sites would eliminate take-off structures and reduce the amount of forest cover to be removed.

Based on the facts provided to the Council, Council staff recommends the Archers Lane 2 site. The Archers Lane 2 site in not substantially different than the site approved by the Council. CL&P has raised facts that would favor the Diamond Hill Road site but have not offered a reasonable solution to an Archers Lane site nor reduced the impasse with the Town. This development will permanently affect the neighborhood and surrounding open space and should be a site that the municipality and utility find amicable. This is not the case. Because the Archers Lane 2 site might be complicated by restrictive land use provisions in the deed, the Council encourages either appropriate amendments to the deed or land acquisition to resolve such issues. Therefore, the development of the Archers Lane 2 site is a solution the Council should view favorably. This order would require the Certificate Holder to submit for Council review and approval a D&M Plan for the construction of the Archers Lane 2 site.

Appendix A

Comparison of visual Analysis