Tucson Electric Power Co. has filed for state approval of a new transmission line extension to deliver high-voltage power to Pima Countyβs Aerospace Research Campus south of Tucson International Airport, future home of an advanced battery factory.
The proposed transmission line will link TEPβs existing 138-kilovolt transmission system near South Country Club and East Old Vail Roads to the proposed Franco Wash Switchyard, about 1.5 miles due west, according to TEPβs application to the Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee.
The line project will use existing and new power monopoles to carry both the 138kv and existing sub-transmission 46kv lines along a route looping back east along the north side of East Old Vail Road.
The line-siting committee has set a public hearing on the matter starting Dec. 4.
For more details, including project maps and hearing information, or to file a public comment, go to TEPβs project page at tep.com/aerospace-research-campus/.
TEP says the project will support new aerospace development and other supply-chain industries planned for the 500-acre business campus, with no impact on service reliability for other customers.
The utility cited American Battery Factory, which broke ground this week at the Aerospace Research Campus on the first phase of a planned $1.2 billion lithium iron-phosphate battery cell manufacturing complex after reaching a lease-purchase agreement with Pima County last December.
World View Enterprises, a stratospheric balloon startup, occupies the northeast corner of the research campus under a lease deal with the county.
TEP says it notified area residents, agencies and other stakeholders of the proposed line in June and through September held one stakeholder group meeting, two in-person open houses, and met with the Tucson Airport Authority and the Western Area Power Administration, which owns some lines in the area.
The route TEP has proposed in its application to state regulators will pass by a medium-density residential neighborhood on the south side of East Old Vail Road, where 46kv power lines already run along the road.
The line-siting committee will make a recommendation to the full Arizona Corporation Commission, which will ultimately decide on TEPβs request for a βcertificate of convenience and necessityβ for the power line project.
Check out the advanced battery-cell plant American Battery Factory plans to build starting in 2023, south of the Tucson airport.
Contact senior reporter David Wichner at dwichner@tucson.com or 520-573-4181. On Twitter: @dwichner. On Facebook: Facebook.com/DailyStarBiz
