a charged subject
By michelle peot
Rocky Mountain Power (a.k.a.PacifiCorp) energy company is planning to construct a ~54 mile 345kV, above-ground transmission line from Cedar City to the existing Purgatory substation in Washington Utah. The justification is to increase energy capacity for the growing number of homes, to increase reliability, and to add fault tolerance in the event of a wildfire shutoff.
Project summary from their website:
● Voltage: 345 kV
● Type of Structures: Steel transmission towers, H-frames and single poles
● End Points: Three Peaks substation (Cedar City) and Purgatory Flat substation (Washington)
● Length: Approximately 54 miles
● Right of Way: 80-130 feet
● Anticipated in-service date: 2033
Transmission tower options from the Rocky Mountain Power slide deck presented to Leeds. The full slide deck is available here
Route options under discussion
According to the Rocky Mountain Power slide deck, seven routes were originally analyzed before choosing their preferred option. Considerations included topology, land use easements, environmental constraints, and proposed developments. The preferred option crosses 15.3 miles (28.7%) of BLM land, 35.3 miles (66.1%) of private land, and 2.9 (5.4%) of state land. They also presented an alternative route, shown below in yellow. According to Rocky Mountain Power, a comparable underground transmission line would cost 20 times as much.
The Rocky Mountain Power preferred (red) and alternative (yellow) transmission line routes presented to Leeds last month. The full slide deck is available here
The slide deck was shared at the Leeds Town Council meeting on September 9th. The mayors of Toquerville, Leeds, and Hurricane met this week to discuss another possible alternative route, shown below in green.
Local residents were invited to an informal Leeds town hall discussion on September 15th to provide commentary on the mayors' proposal. Many residents expressed concern about the impact to their rural properties, businesses, and health.
Prior alternatives ran further to the east, but it was clear that concessions were being made to route around planned developments, which may never be completed and whose developments were also being used to justify the project. No details have been shared on the impact to existing customer rates, or whether increased impact fees from new developments would help to defray the financial hit to rate payers.
The Rocky Mountain Power preferred (red) and mayors' alternative (green) transmission line routes presented to residents at an informal town hall discussion on September 16th in Leeds.
No routes, preferred or alternative, have been finalized. Solicitation of public feedback is ongoing, including in person at the upcoming Rocky Mountain Power open houses.
Viewing a higher resolution route map with parcel information
So far only the preferred option transmission line route is available online in a higher resolution, interactive format (ArcGIS). Here is how to access it:
Go to ThreePeakstoPurgatory.com.
Under Project Overview, you'll see a black box with a Sign in prompt. Close it without signing in. You may need to do this several times.
A map appears with a red transmission line route. Click Ignore all to the message that says you don't have access to some resources.
To load the parcel data, click the Add Data button on the upper lefthand side of the map that looks like a stack of coins (database icon), then select Click to add data.
From the Search drop-down, change the data source search to ArcGIS Online. Enter regrid in the search box.
Select Regrid USA Nationwide Parcel... then click the Done button.
7. You should see the data set in the Add Data box. Next to the data set name, click the 4-dot Actions icon, then select Add to map.
8. Click Ignore all to any Credentials alerts. The map will shift to be centered on the Atlantic Ocean. Recenter the map back to the US.
9. You should see black boundaries around US states and the transmission line labeled. Zoom in to Washington County. It may also help to expand the map to full screen with the Fullscreen icon in the lower right.
10. As you zoom in, you should be able to see faint light gray parcel boundaries. Clicking on a parcel will give you the address if available, acreage, and parcel number.
Upcoming public meetings
Upcoming open houses are scheduled in the first half of October, including a virtual session. From the Rocky Mountain Power website:
The following in-person open houses will take place from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, October 6, 2026
Festival Hall Conference Center
96 North Main Street, Suite 100
Cedar City, UT 84720
Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Fire Station 47
730 North Main Street
Leeds, UT 84746
Thursday, October 8, 2026
Heritage Hall
50 North Main Street
Washington, UT 84780
A virtual option will also be hosted Wednesday, October 14, 2026, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
Virtual Open House
Register at ThreePeakstoPurgatory
Public comments may also be submitted on the ThreePeakstoPurgatory site. Note that the Toquerville meeting mentioned in the slide deck has been moved to the Leeds Fire Station. Check the website to reconfirm date, time and location, as event logistics have been changing.
Project questions may also be emailed to 3Peaks@PacifiCorp.com