TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Tucson Electric Power has been planning upgrades to the electric grid in Midtown Tucson since 2019 to address the neighborhood’s growing energy needs.
But that plan has been delayed and changed due to pushback from neighbors in historic Midtown neighborhoods.
Watch this full report from KGUN 9’s Midtown reporter Ryan Fish:
This fall, the Arizona Corporation Commission approved a new TEP transmission line as part of the utility’s ‘Midtown Reliability Project,’ which would also add a new substation on Vine Street next to Banner University Medical Center.
The approved 138-kilovolt transmission line would be built above ground along Grant Road, Park Avenue, Euclid Avenue and 36th Street.
Many agree that infrastructure improvements are necessary, but many neighbors would rather this line be built underground.
TEP says that would cost roughly 10-15 times more, and that it wants to avoid passing that extra cost onto customers.
“There’s no safety or reliability reason that would justify underground installation,” TEP spokesperson Joseph Barrios explained.
Neighbors argue overhead power lines do pose a safety risk and are an eyesore for historic neighborhoods, and that TEP can afford the underground price tag.
“Putting… transmission lines through the welcoming mat of the U of A just doesn’t make sense,” West University Neighborhood Association President Betsy Larson told KGUN.
Neighbors who analyze other underground projects argue TEP’s cost estimate is inflated. TEP denies this, saying it’s confident in its studies and the underground cost estimate it has presented publicly.
Last week, TEP applied for special exemptions from the city to allow the line to cross three Gateway Corridor Zones, which are protected zoned areas requiring special permissions. TEP tells KGUN the city’s zoning examiner will look at the applications during a hearing in January or February.
That could be the last major hurdle for the project. The utility wants to finish construction by Summer 2027.
Larson hopes the city can still push back against TEP’s preferred overhead plan.
“As a city, I think we’re finally realizing that we can push back against corporate greed,” she said.
An SEC filing shows TEP’s 2023 profit was $258 million.
The company says it won’t take on some of the extra cost to go underground because it needs strong returns to attract more capital. Barrios says TEP is planning to invest more than $3 billion in facility and service improvements over the next five years, and reaching their commitment of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 will also take significant investment.
“We have to be thoughtful about where we invest our resources and how we do that,” Barrios said.
KGUN 9's Midtown reporter Ryan Fish discusses Tucson Electric Power's planned upgrades to its electric grid:
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