PRPA board agrees to hold off on transmission project

FORT COLLINS — The Platte River Power Authority Board voted
unanimously to hold off on a power line transmission upgrade through the
Pineridge Natural Area near Horsetooth Reservoir for about two months to allow
the city of Fort Collins to devise a plan that could avoid running new overhead
power lines through the area.

After a two-hour executive session by the PRPA board,
Loveland Mayor Cecil Gutierrez made a motion to “temporarily delay further
construction activities” on the project until Oct. 18. The upgrade is about
two-thirds complete.

“During the period between now and Oct. 18, staff is
directed to cooperate fully with the city of Fort Collins to retain a mutually
agreeable, nationally recognized engineering consultant” to do a “study of
alternative means to complete (the project) presently under construction that
will provide a redundant transmission circuit to the city of Loveland,” the
motion said.

“Due to the critical importance of the new 230kV circuit to
the reliability of service to the city of Loveland and residents of south Fort
Collins, any alternative must complete the connection by June 1, 2012,” the
motion states.

The motion further calls for Fort Collins to pay the
incremental costs of any alternative pursued, with Platte River agreeing to pay
up to one-half of the expenses.

Rae Todd, a PRPA spokeswoman, said there are only three
possible alternatives.

“The only alternatives are overhead, underground or an
acceptable route that Fort Collins may come up with through a consultant,” she
said.

The cost of an overhead upgrade through the area is
estimated at $1.8 million, but the cost of burying the lines could be as much
as $15 million, according to PRPA.

PRPA is an electrical utility owned by the cities of
Fort Collins, Loveland, Estes Park and Longmont.