Have you ever wondered how your electrical power gets to your home or business? If you live on the Delmarva peninsula, there’s only way – moving south from New Castle County. This causes congestion in our area grid that costs Delmarva ratepayers approximately $100 million per year. Fortunately, Delmarva Power has proposed a solution – the Mid-Atlantic Power Pathway, or MAPP.
The MAPP, as proposed, will run from Dominion Virginia Power’s Possum Point station in Prince William County, Virginia to Mirant’s Chalk Point plant, to Constellation Energy’s Calvert Cliffs nuclear plant. From there power will be converted from AC to DC, and travel under the Chesapeake Bay and through Dorchester County to NRG’s Vienna station. There it will be converted back to AC and continue its path to NRG’s Indian River plant near Millsboro, in Sussex County, Delaware.
Besides helping to ensure a reliable power supply to the Delmarva peninsula, ratepayers will actually see a cost savings. The cost of building an operating the MAPP will be less than the current congestion charges being paid to the grid operator.
If this is so great, why isn’t the MAPP completed already? As usual, the majority of citizens are being held hostage by the usual NIMBY and tree hugging crowd. Sure, I understand that not too many of us want high voltage power lines running through our neck of the woods. Of course, we expect the lights to come on when we flip that switch. Don’t we?
Dorchester County is the primary battleground. That’s not because of the good folks in Dorchester; it’s because that is where Delmarva Power has to obtain new right of way. In the other areas along the MAPP route, right of way already exists in most places.
However, I hope that we’ll begin to see the benefits of the MAPP in the next few years. Delmarva Power has retained Cathy Bassett, former Rep. Wayne Gilchrest’s Communications Director, to take point on this matter. Bassett is working hard to reach out to members of the affected communities and explain why we need the MAPP and its benefits to all of us. Bassett has earned a lot of credibility with Shore residents over the years and I am confident that she’ll be able to overcome the fear mongering of those who seem to believe that sitting in the dark is a reasonable alternative.
cross posted at Delmarva Dealings
17 comments:
Thank you for a great post-I have been following this issue in the Sun Papers and it is very important to all of us on the Shore that this project goes through.Some among us seem to think that electricity travels into our homes wirelessly,perhaps from the "electric fairy" but the fact is that it is delivered to our homes and businesses thru an extensive infrastructure that is on the brink of failing if we do not allow the energy industry to upgrade it.How exactly do they think that power lines are going to destroy a marsh habitat?
And like Al Gore,I cannot help but think that those greenies who are opposed to the MAPP project use as much if not more power than the rest of us do.
Joe I know you are probably trying to be polite and not offend the people in Dorchester County but this selfish NIMBYism is coming from enough of them. I am resident of Cambridge and I know. Many people who live in Taylors I slsnd, Woolford,Madison, Church Creek do not what any thing disturbing their sight lines even if it vitally important to the entire peninsula. I am ashamed of many I grew up with.
I didn't Post this, GA Harrison did.
Those people need to be reminded of the events of May 14, 1996. That is the day that the lights went out on most of Delmarva, beginning at 10:12 AM and lasting for most of the day.
There were no storms, bad weather, or other natural occurrences. It was solely due to human error, with the improper installation of a small relay switch.
One measly part failed, and most of us get plunged into the dark -- so to speak -- and it took all day to get the grid back up and working.
If there was another route for incoming power, such as the proposed MAPP project, an extensive outage might not have materialized. Truth is, we are entirely dependent on that switching station in Glascow, Delaware, and its personnel.
I don't want miles and miles of power lines cutting across the Shore. That money can be better spent because we can generate additional power right here, and create jobs for the Eastern Shore. The Vienna power plant has rail and barge access and is grandfathered to use coal for generation since the original 7 units were coal-fired. The solution is a baseload clean coal (IGCC) plant. In addition, a green project would be to build a wood fired plant at the Vienna site that was equipped to burn bark and sawmill scraps as well as wood chips. Forestry on the Shore would benefit. The Shore needs to stay self reliant.
AR-15, wouldn't the Mapp work in reverse as well, an easy efficient means to ship out self generated power out for sale? We don't have coal here; we have to import that, too. We could, however, sell the wood chip and solar power from here over the new wire.
I had the opportunity to speak to Delegate Cain about this last Tuesday night. While he said that this project was certainly coming, he noted there are multiple surveys that posed challenges. Additionally, he indicated that a lot of Dorchester residents did not like or want this in their backyard and feel it is an attempt to "contract out" our energy sources. He told me there currently was law suit against MAPP.
If it brings down the cost of power to Delmarva power customers I'm all for it. The rates we pay for electric here are crazy.
Posting By Beazer
Sometimes I feel like I'm living among the Beverly Hillbillies.
Folks, Delaware has been paying 50%of the entire cost for wind and photovoltaics - (solar) for a number of years now. New Jersey has been paying as high as 60% of the entire cost for residential and commercial installations. New Jersey's latest program will reward even more.
Bottom line - the technology is now available and very near market entry whereby you will not even need to hook-up to your utility. These systems - (solar, wind, hydrogen) - are now producing and 'pumping back into the power grid' thus eliminating the need for additional generation.
Case-in-point . . why do you think DP&L abandoned their plans to connect the final leg into New Jersey. There are increasing amounts of, both, residences and businesses coming onboard with photovoltaics, wind, and hydrogen fuel cell technology. My god, look at the MEGAWATTS that have now been grid connected into the power grid in Delaware. Everyone knows Maryland has lagged way . .way . .behind the rest of the pack. Soon Delaware will be pumping even more when the offshore wind turbines come online.
I just wish that the press would divulge all of the details.
Beazer
MAPP sent out the positives on postcards stating these wires are safer than standing next to a microwave oven while it is running. What about the numerous children in Edgewater, MD that were subjected to above ground high voltage wires that became ill with cancer and leukemia? The reason they want to run above ground wires is simply because it is cheaper to do and they pocket more money. Although above ground wires are an eye sore, the main fact is these wires do cause serious health issues. Why is that tid bit of information being swept under the rug? (Just the the quick fix energy efficient light bulbs that contain high levels of mercury). It seems money runs the show and people with genuine concerns are just standing in the way.
Solar and wind power is the wave of the future, but also of the present. Rather than contributing to the dependency why not move toward the self sufficient future.
Does anyone recall a right of way being refused? For a utility or municipality, ever?
Actually, orsonwells, no it won't. I've got a memo right here from Pepco Holdings that makes crystal clear, 10% of MAPP's capacity is eligible for distribution to points on the Delmarva Peninsula (90% will pass through to Salem, NJ and beyond). Currently, only 0.04% pick-up would be eligible at 2 contractually pre-determined locations (Vienna and Indian River). While new capacity could be built at those two locations (PHI isn't standing in the way of that) no new biomass, solar, wind, coal, whatever power plants could be built locally and connect in. So, we have no chance at local generation. Even NRG confirms that MAPP does away with the possibility of local generation, both as a factor of supply overwhelming demand and through exclusivity. I've been working on this project for a while for the fed. govt. This isn't a tough one to figure out. But somehow many folks on the Eastern Shore seem to be blinded already by PHI's charade. I understand Dorchester's NIMBY-istic reaction to a new set of power lines, but the real problem isn't the view, its the impact on our economic future. I just hope the rest of us see that too. GA, I'd just suggest some caution in getting too wrapped up with this before its too late to temper some of the rhetoric.
805
Can you expand on this? It's hard to beleive you if this is all you have to say, I mean no disrespect to you, just please give us a little more info
Re: 8:05 Posting
By Beazer:
The news has to get out about what they have in mind with the MAPP transmission lines. If we had thirty or forty large windmills off Maryland's coast - (20 or 30 Megawatt production) - and twenty or thirty large solar farms - (20 or 30 Megawatt capacity) - they -(DP&L)- would not allow it to be tied into the MAPP transmission lines to ship the electricity out of here.
Like I said . . the press really needs to be on this and divulge everything.
Beazer
The whole point of MAPP is to get WV coal plants access to the northeast (NY, NJ, NE). No of these folks gives a rat's a$$ about the eastern shore.
(20 or 30 Megawatt production) - and twenty or thirty large solar farms - (20 or 30 Megawatt capacity) - they -(DP&L)- would not allow it to be tied into the MAPP transmission lines to ship the electricity out of here.
Beazer, I am all for increased alternative energy, but is there a vaible business plan to do any of this?
I am unaware of ANY plan that will do what you are talking about.
Now for the bad news and a point where I hope we will not, but might part company.
I am UNWILLING to use MY taxpayer dollars to build energy sources that aren't as of yet economically viable.
Beazer also said
they -(DP&L)- would not allow it to be tied into the MAPP transmission lines
If there is a plan to do this, then we need to be able to able to use this infrastructure. That kind of power will be highly desirable/profitable going forward IF cap and choke actually passes.
805 said
While new capacity could be built at those two locations (PHI isn't standing in the way of that) no new biomass, solar, wind, coal, whatever power plants could be built locally and connect in. So, we have no chance at local generation.
Our Wicomico County Council should ensure that at least on area along the MAPP route should be made so that a powerplant built in the future could tie in.
Post a Comment