Arizona's Salt River Project has submitted an application for a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility with the Arizona Corporation Commission for the Desert Basin Generating Station to Pinal South Substation 230-kV Power Line Project.

The Desert Basin 230kV Power Line Project consists of a new 230-kV transmission line that will improve reliability for the Desert Basin Generating Station and customer load in Pinal and Maricopa counties.

The proposed transmission line will deliver electricity from Desert Basin, located in Casa Grande, to Pinal South. If a CEC is granted, SRP will begin construction in 2010 with completion expected in 2011. The total project, including the development of the Pinal South Substation, is anticipated to cost approximately $35 million.

Route alternatives for the transmission line were selected after an environmental study and an extensive public process that included three public open houses in Casa Grande. Notices and newsletters with information about the project and the public open houses also were sent to all addresses within the project study area.

The two route alternatives selected are included in the application with the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) and are available for review at www.azpower.org.

The ACC's Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee will review the application at public hearings beginning at 9:30 a.m. on April 16 and 17, at the Property Conference Center, 1251 W. Gila Bend in Casa Grande. A special evening public comment session also will be held on April 16 at the Property Conference Center beginning at 6:30 p.m. Following the hearings, the siting committee will decide whether to issue or deny the certificate, which requires final approval by the ACC.