Flexibility is key when you’re planning for the energy needs of commercial, industrial and residential customers. That’s especially true when you’re talking about a growing area like Papillion and Sarpy County.
The Sarpy Transmission Project (STP), designed to meet the area’s growing electricity demand, will be energized in December 2019. As planning efforts move forward, the project is getting some forward-thinking upgrades.
OPPD reached out to stakeholders between June and August, 2017 to share information about the project and receive input. A route was announced the following month to connect substations near 114th Street and Cornhusker Road and 144th Street and Schram Road.
“However, in light of continued interest in the STP area, OPPD took a second look at the selected route, and we made slight modifications,” said Dannie Buelt, manager-Transission Engineering.
“We continue to see a great deal of development interest in that area between,” said Tim O’Brien, OPPD director of Economic Development & Extrenal Relations. “By upgrading our approach to this transmission line now, we’re better positioning to accommodate planned and anticipated growth.”
The 6.5-mile line will move to the west on Schram Road before connecting with a substation to the south. This keeps STP closer to areas of anticipated and planned load growth.
The transmission voltage will also be upgraded to accommodate higher energy capacity. Some of the project’s distribution lines, which were going to run underneath high voltage lines, will shift, as well. They could possibly be buried as the project comes to fruition.
“Making upgrades now will help OPPD ensure electric service reliability in this area while increasing system flexibility into the future,” Buelt said.
OPPD invited landowners directly impacted by the project to a public hearing on Tuesday, Oct. 23 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at 10508 S. 144th St. District representatives will be on-hand to answer questions and receive comments.
“The hearing begins the next phase of this project,” said Jake Farrell, OPPD manager of Building Services & Operation. “We’re transitioning from routing and siting phase that engineering used to design the facilities to right-of-way acquisition.”
OPPD worked with landowners directly impacted by the project since the announcement of the final route in August 2017.
“We wanted to understand their properties and help mitigate impacts as we designed the line,” Farrell said. “We’re excited to continue our discussions with landowners as we shift to acquiring the necessary rights for OPPD to operate and maintain the facilities necessary for the future growth in the area.”
It’s a partnership, Farrell said, and OPPD will remain flexible.
Jodi Baker writes stories and shoots videos for The Wire. Jodi was a television news reporter before she came to work for OPPD as a media specialist in 2013. Jodi earned her degree in broadcasting from the University of Nebraska-Omaha. She's worked for news stations from her hometown of Omaha to sunny San Diego. She’s married with two bright and energetic children (a boy and a girl) and an allergy-ridden little Cairn Terrier. She and her husband enjoy catching up on some grown-up DVR time once the kiddos are asleep.
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