By Suzanne Hodgson
Staff Writer

Central Maine Power left last week’s Kennebunk Planning Board meeting empty handed, with the board scheduling another meeting with the company.
CMP is working on an extensive $1.5 billion project for new transmission lines, called the Maine Power Reliability Program, across 500 miles and affecting approximately 80 towns in Maine.
Company spokesman John Carroll and engineer Steve Walker, along with other company officials, met with the planning board on Dec. 28 to review proposed zoning changes in order to allow higher poles for the projects transmission lines, but board members hit the company with more questions.
The board delayed taking any action at its Dec. 28 meeting on increasing the height limit needed for the company’s transmission line towers until CMP could come back to the board with exact figures as to how close the proposed lines could come to houses and other buildings.
Kennebunk is one of the towns the new transmission lines will cross.
The town’s zoning regulations limit tower heights to 75 feet, but the company’s zoning proposal does not make any references to setbacks, or how close the power lines can come to citizen’s property lines.
“How close are you allowed to get with your new power line?” asked Planning Board member Peter Simonett, “Can you put it right next to someone’s house?”
Walker said the setback would be approximately 55 feet, but he was not sure. The board members said they would need that information before being able to pass on the project to selectmen to approve.
The board had previously passed the proposed zoning to selectmen, but they delayed voting until setbacks were addressed. The Selectmen also delayed the vote until the Public Utilities Commission weighed in on the power line project.
PUC has not officially given a stance on the project, but if the PUC does not find the new power lines are needed and pulls the plug, CMP will not build any new power lines, even if a town has approved them, Carroll said.
Carroll said the new H-frame 345kV transmission line system is needed to keep the grid more reliable and to handle power from future wind turbines.
Construction for the project is set to begin in Kennebunk during the second half of 2010.
The board must pass along the zoning proposal to selectmen in time to address CMP’s request again by mid March in order to get it to a referendum ballot during the June Town Meeting.

    Staff Writer Suzanne Hodgson can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 233.