PW-SEV/BRG 500kV project background

The Pinal West to Southeast Valley/Browning project (PW-SEV/BRG) is composed of new 500 kilovolt (kV) and 230 kV transmission lines and substations that will serve Pinal, Pima and Maricopa Counties.

The project is planned jointly by the Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District (SRP), Tucson Electric Power Company, Electrical District Number 2, Electrical District Number 3, Electrical District Number 4, and Southwest Transmission Cooperative Inc. The project is managed by SRP.

The project involves:

• Transporting power from the new Pinal West (PW) substation in western Pinal County southwest of the City of Maricopa to a new 500 kV substation that will interconnect with the existing Santa Rosa substation located south of the Ak Chin Indian Community.

  From the Santa Rosa substation, the 500 kV line will extend to the new Southeast Valley (SEV) 500/230/69 kV substation located northwest of Florence in northeastern Pinal County. Contingent upon which of the alternative routes is selected for the transmission line, a future Pinal South Substation, south of Coolidge, may also be included in the Project.

• From the new SEV substation a double circuit 500/230kV transmission line will be sited along with a new 230/69 kV substation (RS19) to be located northeast of the town of Queen Creek. From the RS 19 substation, the new 500/230 kV transmission line will continue on to the existing Browning substation in east Mesa.

An application for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility (CEC) was filed for the PW-SEV/BRG project Oct. 7, 2004. On May 10, 2005, the Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee recommended a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility (CEC) for the project. On Aug. 16, 2005, The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) voted unanimously (5-0) to confirm a CEC for the project.

The PW-SEV/BRG transmission line, in conjunction with the PV-PW transmission project, will span a total of approximately 130-150 miles.

Project origin

As a result of the Central Arizona Transmission System (CATS) Study, new power transmission capacity is planned for central Arizona. A study of regional scope was collaboratively prepared by 18 public and private utility companies, with participation by the Arizona Corporation Commission.

The objective of CATS is to analyze system reliability, capacity and increasing demand for energy delivery in Arizona, and to plan for any additional required transmission.

The project began as one but was divided into two projects, Palo Verde to Pinal West (PV-PW) and Pinal West to Southeast Valley/Browning (PW-SEV/BRG).

Siting and public process

An extensive siting process was conducted for the PV-PW and PW-SEV/BRG projects to determine the most appropriate location for each within an approximate 2000-square-mile study area (534K PDF). View the project timeline.

History of Public Meetings for PV-PW and PW-SEV/BRG 500kV Projects

Type of Meeting	Meeting Date	Meeting Location
Phase 1 Open House	July 16, 2002	Casa Grande, AZ
Phase 1 Open House	July, 17 2002	Coolidge, AZ
Phase 1 Open House	July 18, 2002	Apache Junction, AZ
Phase 1 Open House	July 23, 2002	Maricopa, AZ
Phase 1 Open House	July 24, 2002	Arlington, AZ
Phase 2 Open House	October 8, 2002	Casa Grande, AZ
Phase 2 Open House	October 9, 2002	Coolidge, AZ
Phase 2 Open House	October 10, 2002	Queen Creek, AZ
Phase 2 Open House	October 15, 2002	Maricopa, AZ
Phase 2 Open House	October 16, 2002	Stanfield, AZ
Phase 3 Open House	December 9, 2002	Casa Grande, AZ
Phase 3 Open House	December 10, 2002	Coolidge, AZ
Phase 3 Open House	December 11, 2002	Queen Creek, AZ
Phase 3 Open House	December 12, 2002	Maricopa, AZ
Phase 3 Open House	December 16, 2002	Arlington, AZ
Public Information Meeting	February 13, 2003	Mobile, AZ
Public Information Meeting	November 17, 2003	Mobile, AZ
Developer Workshop	June 1, 2004	Scottsdale, AZ
Developer Workshop	June 2, 2004	Scottsdale, AZ
Developer Workshop	June 3, 2004	Scottsdale, AZ
Phase 4 Open House	July 26, 2004	Casa Grande, AZ
Phase 4 Open House	July 27, 2004	Coolidge, AZ
Phase 4 Open House	July 28, 2004	Queen Creek, AZ
Phase 4 Open House	July 29, 2004	Maricopa, AZ
Neighborhood Meeting	August 26, 2004	Hidden Valley, AZ
Open House	September 9, 2004	Hidden Valley, AZ
Open House	September 30, 2004	Hidden Valley, AZ
Browning 500kV/230kV Construction Open House	Nov. 2, 2006	Mesa, AZ

Visit the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) Web site for answers to frequently asked questions about transmission line siting.

EMF information

Electromagnetic fields (EMF): Please visit one of the following Web sites for more information about EMF:

• SRP
• National Academy Press
• EMF RAPID

Contact us

If you have questions or comments about the project, please contact us.Comuníquese con nosotros

E-mail: Send questions to webmaster@azpower.org.

Telephone: Call SRP Public Involvement at (602) 236-2872 or (800) 380-6123

Information request form: For questions about the project, complete our online request for information form.

*To view PDF files, you'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader if you don't have it. It is free and you will only need to download it once. Then, return to this page to view the report sections and maps.