2.1 Overview of the Proposed Project - Keystone XL pipeline - US ...

Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact StatementKeystone XL ProjectTo the extent practicable, Keystone would coordinate, and has been coordinating, with the localpublic power district to minimize potential impacts to landowners resulting from the constructionof the new transmission lines to pump stations. These power providers would construct thenecessary substations and transformers and would either use existing service lines or constructnew service lines to deliver electrical power to the specified point of use. The electrical powerproviders would be responsible for obtaining the necessary permits, approvals, or authorizationsfrom federal, state, and local governments, except in those instances in Montana, where newservice lines less than 10 miles in length would be constructed. Under Montana regulations, thesedistribution lines are considered “associated facilities” connected with the overall pipelinesystem. Review and approval under Montana law of the associated facilities occurred as part ofthe review and approval of Keystone’s Major Facility Siting Act application.In Montana and South Dakota, the following are Western’s actions directly related tocommercial electrical service for the proposed Project pump stations:• Bowdoin Substation, Phillips County, Montana: Pump Station 9 would be served by Big FlatElectric Cooperative (Big Flat). The interconnection point would be at a new Western AreaPower Administration (Western) owned and operated substation named Bowdoin on itsexisting Fort Peck-Havre 161-kV line. The new substation would consist of a Western ownedthree breaker 230-kV ring bus and 115-kV capacitor banks and associated bays. It would alsoinclude two Big Flat owned power transformers, high and low side transformer interrupters,and a 115-kV line bay. Big Flat would construct approximately 55 miles of 115-kVtransmission line that would connect the new Bowdoin Substation to the existing MathSubstation which would directly serve Pump Station 9. Land acquisition for the newBowdoin Substation would be by BLM withdrawal and would be completed by Keystone.• Fort Peck Substation, McCone County, Montana: Western would expand its existing FortPeck substation to serve Norval Electric Cooperative (Norval) who would distributeelectrical service to Pump Station 10. The substation expansion would include theconstruction of a 115-kV breaker bay on the south side of the substation. Land acquisition forthe substation expansion would be completed by Western.• Coal Hill Substation, McCone County, Montana: Western would construct a new 230-kVswitching station directly adjacent to Pump Station 11. The new Western owned switchyardwould be named Coal Hill, and would be configured in a three breaker ring configuration,with a Norval owned 230/6.9-kV power transformer. Norval would distribute electricalservice to Pump Station 11. Keystone would acquire the necessary land and transferownership to Western.• Circle Substation, McCone County, Montana: Western previously converted an existing115-kV single substation configuration to a main-and-transfer substation configuration toaccommodate unplanned load growth unrelated to the proposed Project. At the same time,Western replaced a 115/34.5-kV transformer and installed two 8-MVAR shunt capacitorbanks. Western’s unrelated substation expansion would accommodate an interconnectionpoint in the 115-kV bus for McCone Electric Cooperative to serve the Pump Station 12 load.No additional land acquisition would be required.• O’Fallon Substation, Prairie County, Montana: Western would expand their existingO’Fallon Substation and construct a new 115-kV breaker bay to accommodate Tongue RiverProject Description 2.1-83 March 2013