Dear Customer:
Tampa Electric is committed to providing our customers and residents with up-to-date information about construction projects in their area. In February 2007, we announced our plans to construct a new 230-kilovolt transmission line from Polk County to Hillsborough County. The new line, which is necessary to ensure the continued delivery of reliable and affordable electric service to your area, will connect our new Willow Oak substation, located at the intersection of State Road 60 and Turner Road in western Polk County, with our Wheeler substation in Valrico and our new Davis substation in Temple Terrace, a span of approximately 30 miles.
Tampa Electric submitted a request for determination of need to the Florida Public Service Commission (FPSC) in April 2007. The FPSC approved the company’s request on June 11, 2007.
Tampa Electric has identified a proposed corridor for the transmission line based on evaluating numerous quantitative and qualitative criteria, including but not limited to: customer input, current and future land use, environmental considerations, engineering requirements and costs. A map of the preferred corridor is attached.
Tampa Electric filed an application with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) on October 12 for certification of the transmission line corridor. The FDEP is the agency that will coordinate inter-agency review and certification of the preferred transmission corridor under Florida’s Transmission Line Siting Act (TLSA). The TLSA certification, an umbrella permit for all affected state, regional and local agencies, is issued by the Siting Board, which consists of the Florida Governor and Cabinet.
The FDEP held a certification hearing with an Administrative Law Judge on March 4 and 5, 2008 in Brandon. A public hearing was also held at 7:00 p.m. on March 5. The Administrative Law Judge has recommended to the Siting Board that the proposed corridor be approved.
The Siting Board hearing is scheduled for July 29, 2008 in Tallahassee, FL. The specific route of the transmission line within the corridor will be determined after the Siting Board approves the proposed corridor.
We plan to notify you in a timely manner when significant project milestones are accomplished, such as approval of the proposed corridor by the Siting Board. We will be holding additional community meetings when the specific route within the approved corridor is determined.
If you would like to learn more about the project, visit our Web site at tampaelectric.com/infrastructure/davis or call our toll-free number: 1-877-277-4568. You can also visit the FDEP Web site which contains the TLSA Application and all associated documents related to the project.
