To the editor;
Nova Scotia Power held its first public consultation on the proposed transmission line linking Cole Harbour to Eastern Passage on May 20 at Cole Harbour Place.
In attendance were concerned citizens of Cole Harbour who face the prospect of having 100 to 150 Ft transmission towers erected on their private property. Can you imagine having your backyard in a pristine green-belt environment being transformed overnight into unsightly industrial structure normally found in industrial parks or crossing uninhabited Crown land from point of generation to sub stations along the way?
Well, Nova Scotia Power feels that residents should accept their towers and negotiate reasonable easement settlements so they can satisfy the growth requirement in Eastern Passage.
In April 1994 Nova Scotia Power acknowledged that the power grid towers would have a "negative visual impact." Gee, who wouldn't love to have a huge metal tower on their property? Talk about stating the obvious. Nova Scotia Power then goes on to state the process of installing an underground transmission line is feasible and engineering plans drawn up to support this transmission submitted to the Department of Natural Resources. They do lament the additional cost of this type of transmission line over the cost of wooden and/or steel towers.
What Nova Scotia Power does not state and probably will not state is that the reliability of buried transmission lines is significantly superior to that of suspended transmission lines.
Underground cables are not subject to ice-laden fractures, sea-salt contamination followed by loss of service and when properly done and marked require reduced maintenance. It all comes down to the cost of buried cable versus suspended cable. But let's look at some of the other factors. When you install steel towers in industrial areas you limit access by virtue of location, how many kids live and play in industrial parks? Now put that same steel tower in the back yards of residences with children. Do you think that kids won't find this new tower that comes equipped with built-in climbing ladder downright inviting?
Nova Scotia Power has had 20 years to plan their requirements and anticipate growth. Poor planning on their part should not automatically mean power towers going through residential neighbourhoods. The expropriation act was designed to provide a means for governments to take land for the betterment of the community. Nova Scotia Power expropriating land to save a few dollars is not for the betterment of the community. Nova Scotia Power should be a good neighbour and respect the properties of the residents who chose to live in a residential area and not turn the neighbourhood into an industrial thoroughfare.
Robert Harpelle
Cole Harbour
