Power line relocation may affect outlying areas

Susan Schell

of the Gateway

As the road improvement project currently underway on Wollochet Drive continues, the Peninsula Light Company will have to relocate a 115,000-volt transmission line out of the existing right of way.

The project will cost PenLight about $2.5 million.

“We are mandated to relocate this transmission line,” said Jonathan White, PenLight’s director of member services and marketing. “It’s not uncommon for the county to have road construction projects that impacts us, and it’s something we have to consider every time we do a capital budget.”

The transmission line provides power to Artondale, Kopachuck, Horsehead Bay, Raft Island, Fox Island and Cromwell. PenLight has contracted with a specialist, Michels Power Corporation of Brownsville, Wisc., through its local office in Lacey, to handle the relocation.

“This is a very delicate and complex operation,” White said. “The voltage in this line is much higher than a regular distribution line.”

The distribution line feeds the substation located behind Artondale Elementary School. The substation is energized by the transmission line, which takes the power, reduces it and distributes it to the community.

Because the power line will have to be shut down during construction, the neighborhoods it serves will receive power from the Gig Harbor substation, White said. The line will come back online when the project is complete.

If circumstances dictate a change, White said PenLight will activate its Interactive Voice Response system, which will leave a voice message to customers by phone. The message may ask people to limit the use of air conditioners or other electrical devices in order to conserve energy.

The transmission relocation is scheduled to be complete by mid-September. For more information, visit www.penlight.org.