LUS Presents Plans for new Transmission Line
Princess Bolden
@princessbolden1
The Lafayette Utilities System (LUS) presented a project to create a Moss to Gilman/Peck transmission line in Lafayette to the Professional Services Review Committee on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
The purpose of the transmission line is to carry a high electrical signal from one area to another with minimum power loss, allowing for improved reliability of electricity for Lafayette residents and businesses. Transmission lines usually withstand for long periods of time and are shown to be beneficial to communities.
The transmission line that LUS wants to create will be from two substations in Lafayette, starting from the Moss substation to the Gilman/Peck substation.
Substations are parts of the transmission line that are used to transform voltage frequencies, from high to low or vice versa, in order to safely supply homes, businesses and other surrounding areas that are connected to the transmission line with electricity.
On Wednesday, Nov. 6, a Lafayette Consolidated Government Charter Transition Committee Meeting was held to discuss more of the LUS Utilities and LUS Fiber transmission line project.
Lowell Duhon, the current interim director of LUS said that he and Jeffrey Stewart, the engineering and power supply manager at LUS, previously met to discuss any potential events that would cause the parish to be involved with the project.
“He and I got together and went over the ordinances that have happened over the past year to see if there is any way that it would affect the parish,” Duhon said, “and we also met and talked informally to see if there was any situation that could bring the parish into the decisions made by the city of Lafayette. At this time we could not come up with any.”
Although the public was not there to speak on LUS Utilities and LUS Fiber’s project, there are plans to allow the public to speak their opinions on a later date.
Chairman Jerry Luke LeBlanc stated at the following Nov. 6 meeting, “We welcome comments by the public, but it is our intent to reserve a future meeting for strictly public comments on this transition.”
LUS is an organization that provides utilities for the city of Lafayette and other surrounding cities as well. LUS and LUS Fiber were originally created specifically for the city of Lafayette, but they have expanded their customer base outside of city limits, with their revenues staying in the LUS fund.