The comment period for the Los Alamos National Laboratory Electrical Power Capacity Upgrade Project Draft Environmental Assessment opens Dec. 19 and runs through Jan. 17.
The draft assessment analyzes the construction and operation of a new 115-kilovolt power transmission line and upgrades to the lab’s existing electrical infrastructure.
“Los Alamos requires a reliable and redundant electrical power supply to support mission programs and other activities,” the National Nuclear Security Administration said in a Nov. 17 announcement. “Electrical power supply forecasts project that existing transmission lines that serve LANL and Los Alamos County will reach capacity before 2030, jeopardizing DOE/NNSA’s electrical power supply to meet mission requirements.
The assessment was prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, Santa Fe National Forest and Bureau of Land Management Taos Field Office. The draft environmental assessment includes proposed amendments to the 2022 Forest Plan for the Santa Fe National Forest that would allow for the designation of a utility corridor and permanent easement on Santa Fe National Forest–administered lands.
The draft document provides sufficient evidence and analysis for determining whether to prepare an official environmental impact statement for the project or to issue a finding of no significant impact, to meet the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act. The Draft EA is available here.
