New towers coming to county

FirstEnergy plan calls for replacing electrical lines in 4 communities

Lorain’s Tower Boulevard could get new towers, according to a plan to replace a nine-mile stretch of electrical wires strung over four neighboring communities.

American Transmission Systems Inc., a FirstEnergy company, is seeking approval to rebuild the power lines known as the BeaverBlack River 138 kV Transmission Line and the Beaver-Johnson 138 kV Transmission Line.

Those are power lines that run through Brownhelm Township, the city of Amherst, Amherst Township and the city of Lorain, including Tower Boulevard.

The company has begun notifying the local governments and nearby property owners.

American Transmission Systems also has applied for consideration by the Ohio Power Siting Board.

The state agency was created in 1972 “to support sound energy policies that provide for the installation of energy capacity and transmission infrastructure for the benefit of the Ohio citizens, promoting the state’s economic interests and protecting the environment and land use,” according to its website.

“This is just going to be a rebuild of that line,” said FirstEnergy spokesman Chris Eck.

The power lines already are in place and 65 replacement towers likely would sit in the areas of the existing ones, Eck said.

Generally, the rebuilding projects take place within the footprint of existing facilities to avoid dealing with new easements and right-of-way issues, he said.

The project has an estimated cost of $15 million, according to records on file with the Ohio Power Siting Board.

For the Beaver-Black River and Beaver-Johnson lines, there is no direct charge to neighboring property owners or FirstEnergy customers for the reconstruction, Eck said.

It will create a visible change for residents because the existing lattice, “Erector Set” style towers will be removed.

The new towers will be poles, Eck said.

The 138 kV designation is an abbreviation for 138 kilovolt, he said.

“This is a high voltage transmission line,” Eck said. “These are the interstate superhighways of the electrical grid.”

Because the line is greater than 100 kV, it is considered a major utility facility that comes under the jurisdiction of the Ohio Power Siting Board.

Eck said he anticipates the project will require a hearing before the board.

The Ohio Power Siting Board online docket shows various notifications and applications filed by American Transmission Systems, but does not have a hearing date scheduled.

If all goes well, construction would start in March 2019 and finish by May 2020.

The lines transmit electricity that flows to substations to reduce the power to usable levels for neighborhoods, Eck said.

Replacing the lines probably will not result in any power outages.

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