MILLSBORO -- To avoid extended power outages on the Eastern Shore, Delmarva Power plans to construct a new, high-voltage transmission line between Delaware and Maryland.
"A transmission line is basically the backbone of the electric system, where a lot of high voltage is being disseminated and funneled into different areas," said Matt Likovich, spokesman for Delmarva Power.
The project has been in the pipeline since 2008, when the North American Electric Reliability Corp. -- an organization that develops and enforces reliability standards in the U.S. -- was identifying areas of the country that were in need of improvement.
The North American Electric Reliability Corp. then directed PJM -- a regional transmission organization that coordinates movement of wholesale electricity in 13 states, including Delaware and Maryland -- to pass the information along to Delmarva Power.
The line will carry 138,000 volts about 12 miles between Millsboro and Bishopville, Md., in Worcester County."If there would be any kind of glitch in one part of the system, then there would be enough backup elements in the overall improvement of the system that we'd be able to keep the lights on and the energy flowing," Likovich said.
Likovich said construction is estimated at $15.7 million, and a series of similar projects will follow.
"We budget for things like this to improve infrastructure, and this is the first [project] out of the gate," he said.
A schedule of public meetings to provide more information is being compiled, and should be released within the next two months.
Construction is slated to begin in November. Estimated completion date is May 2012.
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