The Energy Thread

[Moliere]

I imagine right-of-way, the ensuing lawsuits and permitting will bump that figure up quite a bit.

If your transmission lines are costing $1 billion per mile then you are doing it wrong (or with gold wire). You could probably even bury one mile of gold transmission line for $1 billion.

[landpoke]

500x?

No. My response wasn't a defense of KL's ridiculous assertion.

If your transmission lines are costing $1 billion per mile then you are doing it wrong (or with gold wire). You could probably even bury one mile of gold transmission line for $1 billion.

See above.

I read NWU's quote as saying the construction costs were that amount per mile which, to me, doesn't include ROW acquisition, permitting, etc. I could be wrong. I just know that ROW's, especially for those that cross any significant amount of federal land, are going to be held up by lawsuits, appeals, endless government and court mandated impact studies etc. Which will bump up the per mile cost.

EDIT: I guess "quite a bit" was poor wording on my part. Please mentally edit that to read "a bit."

[Moliere]

No. My response wasn't a defense of KL's ridiculous assertion.



See above.

I read NWU's quote as saying the construction costs were that amount per mile which, to me, doesn't include ROW acquisition, permitting, etc. I could be wrong. I just know that ROW's, especially for those that cross any significant amount of federal land, are going to be held up by lawsuits, appeals, endless government and court mandated impact studies etc. Which will bump up the per mile cost.

EDIT: I guess "quite a bit" was poor wording on my part. Please mentally edit that to read "a bit."

IME materials and labor at around 70% of the cost with ROW, legal, enbironmental, planning, etc being the other 30%. the biggest lines I've dealt with are 345 kV and their cost per mile is usually budgeted at $2 to $3 million total, depending on the size of the project, terrain, and type of land/easements needed. Granted, we often just buy the land or we already own it.

[Katy Lied]

The $1 Billion/mile estimate was for a 500 kV DC trunk backbone line. I did blink at the number and thought I misheard, but thats what others heard too. Or maybe he was talking about this 765 kV HVAC line.

[landpoke]

The $1 Billion/mile estimate was for a 500 kV DC trunk backbone line. I did blink at the number and thought I misheard, but thats what others heard too.

What's the difference between a DC and AC line?

[creekster]

IME materials and labor at around 70% of the cost with ROW, legal, enbironmental, planning, etc being the other 30%. the biggest lines I've dealt with are 345 kV and their cost per mile is usually budgeted at $2 to $3 million total, depending on the size of the project, terrain, and type of land/easements needed. Granted, we often just buy the land or we already own it.

Looks like the next 155 kV are pretty pricey.

[Moliere]

The $1 Billion/mile estimate was for a 500 kV DC trunk backbone line. I did blink at the number and thought I misheard, but thats what others heard too. Or maybe he was talking about this 765 kV HVAC line.

Let's say it's $1 billion per mile. How many miles are needed to run it to California? 700? That would be $700 billion dollars right?

AEP has the longest 765 kV lines in the country (over 2,000) miles and their balance sheet in 2009 showed gross transmission PPE of $8.3 billion,NAND that number also includes 39,000 miles of other transmission lines.

I'm not trying to pile on, I'm just wondering where the $1 billion comes from. Sounds like a mistake or scare tactic.

[Katy Lied]

yeah, sounds high. I don't know what goes into the estimate given me. Could be scare tactics, although I dont know what he has to gain by throwing out the number. Could also be that he cherry picked a few mileage points that were really high.

[Joe Public]

No. My response wasn't a defense of KL's ridiculous assertion.

I think the assertion was a professor's and not hers.

AEP has the longest 765 kV lines in the country (over 2,000) miles and their balance sheet in 2009 showed gross transmission PPE of $8.3 billion,NAND that number also includes 39,000 miles of other transmission lines.

That sounds more realistic.

[Katy Lied]

SLC was the 5th city in the US to be electrified.

[Green Monstah]

SLC was the 5th city in the US to be electrified.

But still lacks the ability to be electrifying.

[Moliere]

A couple upcoming events on energy:

KPMG Global Energy Conference - Dick Cheney's speech will be webcast live today for free:
http://www.kpmginstitutes.com/global...ck-cheney.aspx

Deloitte webcast about the future of the natural gas market:
http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_US/u...56f00aRCRD.htm

[Tim]

A couple upcoming events on energy:

KPMG Global Energy Conference - Dick Cheney's speech will be webcast live today for free:
http://www.kpmginstitutes.com/global...ck-cheney.aspx

Deloitte webcast about the future of the natural gas market:
http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_US/u...56f00aRCRD.htm

Hopefully Dick Cheney's keynote will be about his exciting new program in which we invade foreign countries that have oil while making it look like those countries posed realistic threats to our natio... Wait, what's that you say?

[landpoke]

Hopefully Dick Cheney's keynote will be about his exciting new program in which we invade foreign countries that have oil while making it look like those countries posed realistic threats to our natio... Wait, what's that you say?

I'd be behind said program, if we actually took their oil. But, unfortunately, the left has pussified this country to the point that we're just canadia with real football.

[Moliere]

I'd be behind said program, if we actually took their oil. But, unfortunately, the left has pussified this country to the point that we're just canadia with real football.

Halliburton isn't a E&P company so taking the oil doesn't help them. They're happy having the oil field services work. But one could argue the Iraqis are better off today then they were before thanks to the upgrading of their drilling, production, etc.