Siting Process

Common terms

• Corridor or Study Area – an area to be evaluated for possible transmission line routes
• Route – a specific alignment of the transmission line within a corridor
• Opportunity – a favorable location for siting a transmission line. While opportunity areas are preferred for siting, they rarely extend the entire length of a route
• Constraint – a sensitive area typically related to environmental resources or land use. Because of the complex nature of siting, constrained areas are often crossed by portions of a proposed route

Siting considerations

CORE Electric Cooperative uses an open and comprehensive process when siting transmission lines that considers electric system planning, economics, the environment, public involvement, regulatory issues, land rights and engineering input.

Preliminary routes identification phase

Step 1. Define the project area based on required interconnection points.

Step 2. Conduct an opportunity and constraint analysis.

• Opportunity areas include existing linear features and associated corridors that may provide suitable opportunities for collocating a transmission line. These areas contain existing land uses that may be compatible with the project.
• Sensitive areas include areas that could potentially incur environmental impacts or result in land use conflicts if directly affected by the project.
• Exclusion areas include locations with the highest sensitivity level, including those areas with regulatory or legislative designations or extreme physical constraints not compatible with transmission line construction and/or operation.

Step 3. Identify preliminary alternative routes from the analysis above and coordinate with interested parties.

Route refinement phase

Step 1. Address specific concerns identified by the interested parties and refine, add, or delete preliminary routes and identify additional routes if needed.

Step 2. Conduct a comparative analysis of the routes. Resource data are studied and mapped using a Geographic Information System (GIS). Data are analyzed for the comparative analysis in the following categories:

• Social criteria including residence, commercial, agricultural, and parcel data
• Environmental criteria including federal and state areas, wildlife, waterbody, floodplain, and wetland data
• Cultural criteria including historic sites data
• Engineering criteria including constructability and crossing considerations
• County criteria based on requirements within the County code

Step 3. Present the comparative analysis and selected routes at a public Open House for review and comment.

Identification of preferred and alternative routes

Step 1. Use public comments and comments from interested parties to make final adjustments to the alternative routes.

Step 2. Update the comparative analysis to reflect the refined routes and conduct a siting study on the refined routes.

Step 3. Identify a preferred route.

Step 4. Carry the preferred and alternative routes forward for analysis through required local permitting approvals.