RG&E, NYSEG plan line through Naples, South Bristol

South Bristol, N.Y. -Two utilities plan to run a new transmission line through Naples and South Bristol to meet the increased demand for energy in Ontario County.

The line would run from the Eelpot Road substation south of Naples to a substation north of Bristol Mountain on Route 64 in South Bristol.

According to Robert Bergin, director of public affairs for New York State Electric and Gas and RG&E, electrical demand in Ontario County has grown 2 1/2 percent per year and it will continue to grow at that rate or more. NYSEG and RG&E are both subsidiaries of Energy East Corp.

"There will be approximately 100 separate land parcels in the towns of South Bristol and Naples involved in this project," Bergin said.

The single 34.5-kilovolt line will be above ground on 55-foot poles, which will require a 50-foot right-of-way. It won't be a big line, he said, but it should be able to meet the future electrical needs of the county.

"We're now a digital economy," Bergin said. "Computers, cell phones, iPods and PDAs (personal digital assistant, or hand-held computers) all depend on electricity."

Years ago, large amounts of electricity went to a limited number of destinations, he said, referring to the fact that businesses were major consumers of energy. Now, demand is spread out among residential and businesses of all sizes.

"I'm told people have been approached" by RG&E and NYSEG about rights-of-way for the lines, said South Bristol Supervisor Dan Marshall.

He speculated that the new line could be related to wind farms planned for the Prattsburgh and Cohocton areas, but Bergin said that's not the case.

"It has absolutely nothing to do with wind farms. This is strictly a program that we're installing to meet the electrical needs of our customers. The Eelpot Road substation has enough capacity to transmit power to the South Bristol substation then, to a substation in Farmington. This will supply additional energy to various areas of Ontario County. This is the least intensive way of doing it," Bergin said.

Contact Barbara Rathbun at (585) 394-0770, Ext. 256, oratmessenger@mpnewspapers.com.