38KV Underground Supply possible

[JamesRied]

I am looking for advice on how to convince local PEA to put 38KV lines underground.

 

I live on a hill with a view and a nearby subdivision wants to bring in power. Given the distance from existing electric poles (300-500 M) I am told it is too far to drop down the voltage for low voltage underground cable. The 38KV lines would run right across sight lines destroying the view.

 

I am certain it is technically possible as they are doing it everywhere in Thailand but the current opinion is that they wont' do it here because they haven't done it before.

 

Advice would be most appreciated.

[VocalNeal]

Who is paying? 

If you fixate on the issue the power lines will ruin your life. If you simply accept progress then the lines will disappear from your consciousness.

I doubt any visitors will notice?

[Crossy]

I think the local HV distribution is at 25kV, but that matters little.

 

HV underground, even at much higher voltages is definitely possible, it's also expensive, very expensive! Who is going to pay for this job? PEA are not renowned for spending $$$ when they don't have to (they don't actually have much funding).

 

Is this for your own power or someone else (whole village)? 500m at LV isn't impossible, but again the cable costs could be prohibitive.

 

Whose land is being crossed by this power line?

 

 

[Led Lolly Yellow Lolly]

There were high tension lines buried under our land when we took it over. There were four plinth mounted transformers connected to those cables. My SiL didn't know where the cables were until she ordered someone with a backhoe to go dig some holes and the magic smoke and BOOM came out of the ground. No one hurt fortunately, but the cost to splice the cable was astronomical.

 

This system has since been replaced with overhead lines on poles and transformers on poles. The problem is that buried cables are out of sight and out of mind and no one bothers keeping records of where they are, and if there are records, no one bothers looking at them. 22,000 volts is not something to just forget about. I hate the fact that the lines and poles are there, but this is how they do it here, generally speaking i.e. as cheap as possible, no other considerations. As another poster said, don't let it ruin you.

 

 

Edited May 30, 2021 by Led Lolly Yellow Lolly

[JamesRied]

On 5/28/2021 at 11:27 AM, Crossy said:

I think the local HV distribution is at 25kV, but that matters little.

 

HV underground, even at much higher voltages is definitely possible, it's also expensive, very expensive! Who is going to pay for this job? PEA are not renowned for spending $$$ when they don't have to (they don't actually have much funding).

 

Is this for your own power or someone else (whole village)? 500m at LV isn't impossible, but again the cable costs could be prohibitive.

 

Whose land is being crossed by this power line?

 

 

Thanks for the insight. The cables are slotted to go along a road which is deemed to become public in the near future. The power is for a development of 15-20 hours. The other landowner and I are willing so subsidize the increased cost of it because we stand to lose a couple million in property value because the otherwise perfect view will be destroyed.

Indeed I have to investigate further the cable costs for LV. I see regular LV overhead cabling all over the place running at least 500m so I don't quite understand the issue. Thank you for your useful response. 

[Crossy]

For 15-20 houses LV isn't going to be an option I'm afraid, the development will need it's own transformer.

 

Is there an alternative route that won't bust your view?