A lack of bids has the city advertising again for an independent review of Puget Sound Energy’s Energize Eastside project to determine whether it is truly necessary for meeting future energy capacity needs.

Mike Brennan, city development services director, told the City Council on Monday that only one bid had been received for a third-party review of the Energize Eastside project, which will run 18 miles of 230kV transmission lines from Renton to Redmond. That bid came in higher than expected, requiring the city to revise its request to ensure more interest, Brennan said.

The council is responding to strong opposition by neighborhood organizations within Bellevue that question the necessity of PSE’s project, as well as the heights of power poles that would run through their communities.

Brennan said a request for proposals for a third-party study would be resubmitted Tuesday with a two-week deadline for bids. Since PSE’s public outreach strategy started earlier this year, route options for Energize Eastside have been reduced from 18 to four.