Transmission lines and right-of-way considerations

Entergy Arkansas intends to make improvements in collaboration with community members and key leaders. All final decisions regarding new transmission line facilities will be made only after considering public input through the following sources:

• Customer feedback – Input from our customers, area landowners, residents and community leaders are essential in developing an effective and efficient project plan. We welcome you to provide any feedback through this comment form.
• Public open house – We developed this webpage for the public to review the proposed project requirements. The webpage offers an email ([email protected]) for members of the community to offer comments or send in questions. You may also call 501-213-0706 to leave a detailed message. Your call will be returned by one of our subject matter experts as soon as possible.
• Notice to landowners – All landowners of record on or near the proposed project area have been notified by mail.

Several factors must be considered when embarking on a project of this scale, including:

• Right-of-way for the transmission line and facilities – We will design the transmission line and facilities using existing standards for 115 kV right-of-way up to 140 feet wide based on utilization of single-pole modular structures. Additional right-of-way and/or substation terminal facilities may be required above 140 feet to accommodate guy wires, angle structures, terminating facilities and for clearing risk trees;
• Aesthetic considerations and other environmental factors – Modular poles will be used to provide tangent, angle turns, and dead ends for the transmission line. These types of transmission line structures were selected to minimize the aesthetic displeasure of the installation;
• Health and safety – Safety is our priority and, in accordance with the requirements set forth in the National Electrical Safety Code, we will construct and operate the proposed electrical facilities at its standard voltage design and will observe reasonable safety precautions to prevent jeopardizing the public safety. Construction methods and activities in the field will also meet U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Organization requirements. Entergy Arkansas also maintains and follows its own safety policies and procedures in the Entergy Transmission and Distribution Safety Manual;
• Regulatory and permitting – The APSC requires us to file an application for approval of a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity to construct the proposed 115 kV transmission lines. The APSC may conduct a public hearing in connection with our application. The purpose of the hearing would be for the commission to hear evidence of the general impact of the project and to determine the reasonableness of the proposed route for the transmission lines, as opposed to individual objections to the presence of the facilities, and to approve a route that minimizes generally adverse economic and environmental consequences. However, compensation for any claimed damages will not be awarded by the APSC, but rather, such damages would be considered by a circuit court in the appropriate jurisdiction. Additionally, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as well as other federal and state agencies, requires Entergy Arkansas to file for approval of various permits for the new transmission line.

Next steps

• Customer contact and site access – Landowners will be contacted for assistance in developing plans to temporarily access new right-of-way prior to construction. These plans may include ground surveys, soil testing and test borings.
• Construction phase – The proposed electrical facilities will be designed and constructed under the direction, supervision and design specifications of Entergy Arkansas. Vegetation management, electrical construction and final testing will be performed by pre-qualified electrical contractors under the supervision of our personnel in a sequential operation of surveying, clearing, structure erection, conductor installation, testing and clean-up. The first operation is to survey the transmission route to establish the centerline, edge of right-of-way and profile of the transmission line. Centerline staking and profiling may require cutting some trees and undergrowth. Right-of-way clearing, if necessary, will also be performed by contracted crews under the supervision of our personnel. Trees outside of the right-of-way that endanger the safe and reliable operation of the transmission line will be cut to provide necessary clearance.Structure installation takes place in three phases: transporting, assembling, and erecting. Material is transported to each location where structures are assembled, as much as is practical, on the ground; the poles are then set according to the appropriate construction method based upon soil type. Once the structure is assembled, installing conductor is the next critical step. Many vehicles and items of equipment are required to install the conductor. As with vehicles and equipment associated with other construction phases, crews will exercise care to minimize damage to the terrain and landowner premises.