Orlando St. Cloud Resiliency Connection
Safe, Resilient Power
At OUC, we’re committed to providing safe, reliable and affordable service. A major part of making this goal a success is a strong transmission system. Sometimes it requires new construction or upgrades to our existing infrastructure. We ensure our transmission system complies with federal requirements, including the maintenance of transmission rights of way – the strip of land where OUC owns lines and equipment necessary to deliver electricity. Our network of more than 400 miles of transmission lines helps deliver a continuous, reliable and resilient flow of electricity from generating stations to our customers and neighboring utilities. But just like any major infrastructure such as highways and buildings, the transmission grid needs to be upgraded and expanded to serve new and existing customers.
OUC is building a new 230 kV transmission line that will serve Orange and Osceola counties.
Project Highlights:
- The new 230 kV transmission line will extend from OUC’s existing St. Cloud East Substation in unincorporated Osceola County to the existing OUC Magnolia Ranch North Substation in unincorporated Orange County.
- The project will cross portions of Orange and Osceola counties but will not enter the City of Orlando or any other municipality.
- The project's corridor has been certified under the Transmission Line Siting Act (TLSA).
- The transmission line is expected to be approximately 21 miles in length with spun concrete or tubular steel monopole structures, approximately 105 to 150 feet tall – above ground, with lines spanning 350 feet to 1,000 feet between poles.
- The maximum width of the new right-of-way will not exceed 100 feet.
- The corridor is designed to minimize the project’s impact on the public and the environment.
- Construction of the transmission line will occur in two phases. Phase one began in January 2023 and phase two began November 2023. The project is expected to be completed by spring 2025.
For more information on the project, the TLSA application filing status and schedule, please see information under Updates.
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Need
Reliability and resiliency are responsibilities OUC takes very seriously. As part of this commitment, we determined the need to construct a new transmission line, based on a recent planning study to best meet the growing electric demands of customers in the St. Cloud and southeastern Orlando area.
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Benefits to the Community
New transmission infrastructure in the area:
- Supports future development of renewable energy resources.
- Strengthens the ability of neighboring utilities to provide safe and reliable energy to homes, community facilities and businesses in the area.
- Enhances capacity to meet the energy demands due to the fast-paced growth in Osceola and Orange counties.
- Ensures more flexibility for providing critical energy needs to communities in the region.
- Maintains a robust system for supplying and delivering energy, which is integral to ensuring continued economic prosperity.
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Enlarge Infographic
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Updates
- 11/01/2023: The second phase of construction has begun. The work is anticipated to be completed Spring 2025.
- 1/05/2023: The first phase of construction has begun. Phase one will construct the southern section of the line and is anticipated to be completed by May 2024. Property owners along the southern section of the line were notified via mail of upcoming construction activities.
- 12/31/2021: The corridor has been certified under the TLSA by the Secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Siting Office in Tallahassee. More information regarding the certification can be seen here.
- 08/04/2021: OUC supported an information session hosted by Orange County to allow residents to ask project related questions in-person.
- 07/21/2021: Property owners and residents who reside within a quarter mile of the proposed route received a letter of notification in the mail.
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Public Input/Meetings
OUC appreciates feedback from the community and remains committed to conducting an open route-selection process. We will work to identify the selected route has the least overall impact on property owners, the environment and community. Two public information meetings were held in January 2020 and OUC supported an Orange County Public Meeting in August 2021. Additionally, OUC held a 30-day comment period after the public meetings to collect public input by phone, email, and an electronic comment form on the OUC website. OUC also continues to respond to all community questions received on our project hotline via email and phone.
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Related Resources
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Question/Comments
We are here to answers your questions. Please email or call our project hotline.
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