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Westsiders Irked by PNM Plans for Power Line Along Loma Larga |
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Written by Jeff Radford
Corrales Comment
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Wednesday, 24 February 2010 |
The dozen or so riled homeowners who turned out for Public Service
Company of New Mexico’s presentation February 9 on a proposed power
line along Loma Larga may soon have allies.
Concerns about a power line eyesore that would obstruct scenic view of
the Sandia Mountains will likely spread among west side residents.
PNM’s plans include not just the 2,400-foot stretch of new line from
Rayo del Sol to Camino de la Tierra that the homeowners in the
Northwest Sector had heard about, but a much longer run from Coronado
Road all the way up to Camino de la Tierra.
At the Village Council’s request, PNM’s Carol Radosevich explained the
power company’s plans for the short-, medium- and long-range. The
objective, she said, is to assure Corrales an adequate, reliable supply
of electricity.
Her basic question to the mayor and council was: do you want PNM to install those power lines overhead or underground?
If Corrales’ answer is to go ahead with PNM’s preference to string the
new power lines overhead, it would be done at PNM’s expense.
But if the lines are to be buried underground, Corrales —either through
Village government or spread among all villagers’ electricity bills for
several years— would have to pay the extra cost.
PNM estimates it would cost an extra $130,800 to install the line underground from Rayo del Sol to Camino de la Tierra.
If the council gives the go-ahead for PNM to install the line overhead for that stretch, the work would be done in April.
The longer range plan for the power line that would originate at a new
transformer substation below Intel and run along Loma Larga up to
Camino de la Tierra would begin in 2013 at an estimated cost of $3
million, Radosevich explained. And much more if it goes in underground.
She said the proposed power line would be run along poles about the
same height as those now carrying electricity on Corrales Road,
sticking up above ground about 34 feet.
Councillors questioned Radosevich carefully and sometimes sharply about
the need for the new lines and whether they were really the best
solution to Corraleños’ demands for more reliable electricity service.
Radosevich said right now, virtually all of Corrales is served from the
power line that runs along Corrales Road. PNM’s new plan would change
that so that essentially the homes west of the Main Canal would be
served from the new power line originated at a new substation referred
to as “Corrales Bluff,” east of Intel.
Among those speaking out against PNM’s plans for an overhead power line
from Rayo del Sol to la Tierra were Sueann Derr and Richard Green.
Green said he lives at the corner of Loma Larga and Villa de Paz where
the proposed power line would “directly block my view of the Sandias.”
Dick Foote predicted that the longer power line from Coronado to la
Tierra would ignite “a fire storm” of opposition among west side
residents.
Councillor Jim Fahey indicated he thought the Village residents would
probably be willing to pay an extra $3 to $10 a month extra on their
PNM bill for a few years to cover the cost of burying the power line
near the north end of Loma Larga.
But costs would be much greater for the longer run underground from Coronado, Foote warned.
When PNM came before the council a few years ago about an earlier power
line project at the north end, the Village Council signed an agreement
with PNM for the Village to cover the extra cost of taking it
underground.
But the Village’s finances are precarious now, councillors pointed out.
Radosevich requested that Corrales Comment publish a new automated hot
line number that customers can call to learn the status of power outage
repairs. The new call-in system will “give the customers a real-time
update of what is going on with an outage in their area.” That PNM
number is 246-5700, but it will only be effective if the caller is
calling from the residential line where the outage is occurring,
and not a cell phone. |
