OVERVIEW
As our communities continue to develop and thrive, the demand for energy is growing. As a result, we are working to maintain a level of service and reliability that our customers have come to expect and need.
Duquesne Light customers in Moon Township, Robinson Township, Kennedy Township, Crescent Township, McKees Rocks Borough and the City of Pittsburgh are served by a network of 138-kilovolt (kV) transmission lines that were originally installed more than 100 years ago when the region looked very different than it does today. This network needs to be upgraded to better serve our customers who live and work in this part of the region. As such, we are planning to replace the transmission line that stretches from our substation in Crescent Township, PA, to our substation located on Brunot Island on the Ohio River just west of downtown Pittsburgh.
Through this project, Duquesne Light will replace some of the company’s oldest infrastructure, as well as infrastructure damaged by landslides caused by recent severe weather. The design and technology upgrades will help to more efficiently deliver reliable, affordable and safe energy to homes, businesses and communities throughout this area.
We realize you may have questions about this important transmission project, and want to be transparent about all the facts. Please watch the following video and review the information found on this webpage to learn more about the BI-Crescent transmission reliability project:
Inspections
Duquesne Light Company will be performing routine inspections on the existing BI-Crescent transmission line and respective structures. Typically, there are 4 types of inspections: helicopter, drone, Right of Way (ROW), and subsurface inspection. For the most part, these inspections will go unnoticed as many are very quick procedures, but we wanted to bring them to your attention:
Helicopter – Above Grade Inspections
Helicopters will be utilized for above grade inspection. These inspections are performed at low altitude flights hovering above the circuit. We estimate these inspections to be less than 2 minutes per structure, and they’ll be conducted yearly until replacement is complete.
Drone – Above Grade Inspections
Recently, DLC has increased the use of drones throughout our inspection procedures. Drones provide additional angles during an inspection not obtained from ground level or during low altitude flights. The flight crew accesses each structure by foot and establishes a designed launch and landing pad roughly 50-100 feet away from the structure. Drone inspections are estimated to take roughly 30 mins per structure and should be completed by December 2020.
ROW – At Grade Inspections
DLC internal inspection crews will perform at grade inspections on this circuit to identify any issues along its corridor. DLC Employees access each structure by walking the Right-Of-Way and reporting any issues discovered. At grade inspections are estimated to take roughly 10 minutes per structure and will be completed every 5 years routinely.
Subsurface – Below Grade inspections
The grillage foundation, below grade structure steel members, will be inspected by excavating each leg to a 3 feet depth. Access to each tower will be done by foot or with the use of light trucks utilizing the best access point from public right-of-way. Once accessed, only two legs will be excavated at a time and backfilled prior to starting the remaining two. Orange fence is erected around each open excavation to provide the necessary safety measures. Below grade grillage tower inspections are expected to take 4 days per structure and will be completed by June of 2021.
In all cases, these inspections are necessary so we can continue providing safe and reliable power. To minimize any inconvenience to customers, the inspections will be conducted only during daylight hours
TIMING
Duquesne Light Company has filed an amended application for this project with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC). If approved, construction for this project will begin in late 2021 and will end by 2027.
Visit the PUC’s project webpage to view the most recent filings for this project.
LOCATION
The BI-Crescent project will impact the transmission lines and towers from the Duquesne Light substation in Crescent Township, PA, to the substation located on Brunot Island on the Ohio River just west of downtown Pittsburgh – a distance of approximately 14.5 miles.
CONTACT
If you have any questions or comments about this project, please contact Jason Hartle, Brunot Island-Crescent Transmission Project Manager, at (412) 393-7988 or email BI-Crescent@duqlight.com.