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A major step for the controversial Energize Eastside project was taken last week when the first of two Environmental Impact Statements was completed.
The public will have 45 days (until March 14) to comment on the statement, after which Puget Sound Energy (PSE) will respond to comments in a summary and begin work on the second statement.
The city of Bellevue and other Eastside cities are independently putting together the statements (known as an EIS), which are intended to look at the utility’s proposed plan for bringing more reliable energy to the Eastside and determine if the plans are in line with best accepted practices and environmental impact.
The utility’s Energize Eastside is a project to increase the electrical reliability of the Eastside and Bellevue specifically. According to PSE data, the estimated customer demand within Bellevue could lead to a strain on the system by as soon as 2018 and even into rolling blackouts in the early 2020s.
The first statement, the phase 1 draft statement, addresses the project’s impact as a whole without getting into strict specifics. Several options were analyzed to determine the amount of disruptions or environmental impact each would cause.
The first option is a “do-nothing” approach, which would allow the power grid to remain as is. The second is PSE’s preferred option of installing 18-miles of 230 kilovolt (kV) lines from Redmond to Renton through Bellevue as well as a new substation.
The third option is an “integrated resource approach,” which would use conservation and efficiency to try and scale back strain on the grid. Lastly is the option to install more than 60 miles of 115kV lines and multiple transformers throughout Bellevue.
According to the draft statement, all impacts of the aforesaid options would be minor with the implementation of best management practices and regulatory requirements.
But for the local utility, the option to install the 230 kV lines and a new substation is the only real option.
“This is the only proposed solution that solves all the problems,” said Jens Nedrud, senior project manager on Energize Eastside. “This project will add about 25 percent capacity. We anticipate we will be well into the 2030s before we approach the limits of the new system.”
The entirety of the first statement can be read on Energize Eastside’s website at www.energizeeastside.com.
In the statement, Bellevue looks into the generalities of the proposed 18-mile 230 kV line running from the Sammamish substation in Redmond south to the Talbot Hill substation in Renton.
Part of the Energize Eastside plan would change the existing Lakeside substation on Southeast 26th Street in the Richards Valley, adding a transformer (electrical equipment that transforms the voltage of power lines) to convert the 230 kV energy to 115 kV. The 115 kV lines then go out to neighborhood transformers, which then feed into homes and businesses.
Currently, 230 kV lines (which are the best method of transmitting high power over long distances) skirt the city of Bellevue, heading around Lake Sammamish. The huge amount of power Downtown Bellevue sucks up is unsustainable using the current lines based miles away, the utility company said.
PSE released a brief response regarding the findings of the draft statement.
“City of Bellevue and coordinating cities — Renton, Newcastle, Redmond and Kirkland — have done a tremendous job keeping the Energize Eastside Environmental Impact Statement process on-track,” it reads. “PSE encourages customers to review and provide comment on the draft EIS. We look forward to reviewing the draft EIS and moving through the remainder of the environmental review, so that we can address the challenges facing the electric system serving the Eastside communities and continue to deliver reliable electricity to our customers.”
A community group, Coalition of Eastside Neighborhoods for Sensible Energy (CENSE), vehemently opposes the proposed project, suggesting Energize Eastside will be costly, dangerous and will mar the beautiful skyline of residential Bellevue.
The group believes the company is pushing its own costly agenda despite the wishes of the people on the Eastside.
The impact statement avoids delving into the controversy but acknowledges that Bellevue hardly presents a unified front on Energize Eastside.
“Some members of the community reject the idea that the project is needed based on their understanding of how much energy actually needs to be transmitted through and into the Eastside area,” according to the impact statement. “Other members of the community accept PSE’s assertion that the need is real and want only the most efficient and cost-effective approach to addressing it. The purpose of this EIS is not to determine whether the project is needed, but to confirm that the methods used to define the need are consistent with industry standards and generally accepted methods.”
Gretchen Aliabadi, manager of communications initiatives on Energize Eastside, said she understood the hesitation toward the project.
“We are not ignorant to that,” she said. “We want to walk them through it, get as much input from residents as possible and retain as much respect for them as possible. Change isn’t easy.”
Five public hearings are scheduled in the next month for citizens to comment on the statement:
• 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23, Kirkland Justice Center
• 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, Renton City Hall
• 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, Newcastle Elementary School
• 6-8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 29, Redmond City Hall
• 6-9 p.m. Tuesday, March 1, Bellevue City Hall
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