DOCKET NO. 186 - Connecticut Light and Power Company application for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need for the construction, maintenance, and operation of an electric substation located approximately 1,200 feet northwest of the intersection of Hopmeadow Street (Route 10) and Wolcott Road, and its connection to an existing 115-kV transmission line in the Town of Simsbury, Connecticut.
Connecticut Siting Council
July 9, 1998
Decision and Order
Pursuant to the foregoing Findings of Fact and Opinion, the Connecticut Siting Council (Council) finds that the effects associated with the construction, operation, and maintenance of a new substation and its connection to an existing 115-kV transmission line located approximately 1,200 feet northwest of the intersection of Hopmeadow Street (Route 10) and Wolcott Road in the Town of Simsbury, Connecticut, including effects on the natural environment; ecological integrity and balance; forests and parks; scenic, historic, and recreational values; air and water purity; fish and wildlife; and public health and safety are not disproportionate either alone or cumulatively with other effects compared to need, are not in conflict with the policies of the State concerning such effects, and are not sufficient reason to deny the application. Therefore, the Council directs that a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need, as provided by General Statutes § 16-50k, be issued to the Connecticut Light and Power Company (CL&P) for the construction, operation, and maintenance of a new substation and its connection to an existing 115-kV transmission line located approximately 1,200 feet northwest of the intersection of Hopmeadow Street (Route 10) and Wolcott Road in the Town of Simsbury, Connecticut.
The facility shall be constructed, operated, and maintained substantially as specified in the Council’s record in this matter, and is subject to the following conditions:
1. The Certificate Holder shall comply with all future electric and magnetic field standards promulgated by State or federal regulatory agencies. Upon the establishment of any new standards, the facilities granted in this Decision and Order shall be brought into compliance with such standards as soon as practical.
2. The Certificate Holder shall not commence construction of this substation until it has secured Council approval of a Development and Management (D&M) Plan which includes the following elements:
a) A final site plan showing the placement of all substation equipment, structures, and buildings within the substation perimeter and the 23-kV feeder conduit;
b) An erosion and sediment control plan to protect the slope and wetlands adjacent to the site, consistent with the Connecticut Guidelines for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control as amended;
c) Provisions for storm water management and oil containment;
d) Provisions for noise monitoring, at least twice during normal operations, once during the day and once at night.
3. The Certificate Holder shall provide to the Council notification of the following events not less than one week in advance of their occurrence:
a) Commencement of construction for the substation and transmission line connection;
b) Installation of the storm water management and oil containment devices;
c) Removal of the temporary substation.
4. The Certificate Holder shall notify the Council if and when substation operations terminate.
5. The Certificate Holder shall provide the following to the Council:
a) A six month report on the electric and magnetic field measurements at the locations of the pre-construction survey, and at the southern conductor of the transmission tap line.
b) A first year operating report, to be submitted to the Council within three months after the conclusion of the first year of operation, to include:
1. As-built drawings of all buildings, structures, and conduit;
2. The final total cost of the project;
3. Information relevant to the overall condition, safety, reliability, and operation of the substation.
6. Unless otherwise approved by the Council, this Decision and Order shall be void if all construction authorized herein is not completed within five years of the effective date of the Decision and Order, or within five years after all appeals to this Decision and Order have been resolved.
By this Decision and Order, the Council disposes of the legal rights, duties, and privileges of each party named or admitted to the proceeding in accordance with Section 16-50j-17 of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies.
The parties and intervenors to this proceeding are:
APPLICANT
The Connecticut Light and Power Company
ITS REPRESENTATIVE
Donald Allen Director - Transmission and Substation System ProjectsNortheast Utilities Service Company
P.O. Box 270
Hartford, CT 06141-0270 (860) 665-6719
Daniel P. Venora, Esq., Senior Counsel
Northeast Utilities Service Company
P.O. Box 270
Hartford, CT 06141-0270 (860) 665-3395
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