The construction of substations and power lines brings about an obvious challenge – acquiring land and easements from private property owners. Although many landowners are not thrilled at having a new power line nearby, public controversies are actually infrequent. One reason for that is the respectful and reasonable approach we take with property owners and community leaders.
We work one-on-one with property owners to survey property, negotiate fair compensation for easements and finalize construction plans. At public meetings, we learn about local history, geography, land use and community sensitivities. Based on public input, nearly every major power line project is adjusted to some degree, such as pole locations on a parcel of land. Options are limited, though. We don’t adjust routes just to move from one property owner to another, but we do work with affected landowners to find viable solutions for the community.
We reach agreement with landowners 96 percent of the time. Keeping eminent domain use to a minimum – less than 4 percent, on average -- is a top priority. We take many steps to keep eminent domain as a last resort for situations where one landowner tries to deny a community the power it needs.
We consult with local elected officials when projects affect their communities. We travel the state to keep civic leaders informed on important issues. We send out direct mail on topical issues and attend conventions. We sponsor and attend events of Georgia’s elected officials, Chamber of Commerce executives and others.
More than 200 people from neighboring utilities, environmental groups, agencies and community groups helped select and rank the geographic features used in the GTC-EPRI Siting Model, a new approach for studying potential transmission line sites. This award-winning model, developed by Georgia Transmission and the Electric Power Research Institute, has been adopted by other utilities.
Hands On AtlantaOur volunteers jump in to a local river cleanup. |
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