Sugar Loaf Mountain to get new electric substation

Chester — A rusty substation and its array of overhead electric lines get in the way of the scenic views along Sugar Loaf Mountain Road. But Orange & Rockland Utilities, which owns the substation, wants to expand and move it to the other side of the road, to a piece of property the utility already owns. O&R executives told the Town of Chester Planning Board that the upgrade is needed to prevent brownouts and outages in an expanding market for electricity. The lines now tie into a Central Hudson substation in Rock Tavern as a 115,000 volt system, which must be converted to 69,000 volts when it ties into the O&R substation in Sugar Loaf, they said. When the new substation upgrades to 138 volts, it will allow the system to run a two-line to a larger Consolidated Edison tower and enable it to operate at 138,000 volts. The higher voltage would not be compatible with the Central Hudson lines, the executives said. The new substation will be 55 feet tall. O&R has promised to mitigate the visual effect of the structure with landscaping along the road. In addition, the new structure will make it possible to remove two existing 90-foot structures that will become obsolete. The area of disturbance will be 3.1 acres on the 13-acre parcel. O&R’s representatives will return to the Chester Planning Board on May 20 to present a more detailed site plan. While this work is mostly governed by the Public Service Commission, local authorities and the public will get this chance to make their recommendations. O&R officials made it clear that “landscaping is always on the table.” These representatives are aware of recent challenges to the Public Service Commission’s policies of “self rule.” New overhead lines frequently elicit opposition from local residents who consider them unsightly.