An investor-owned utility engaged ECT to support a proposed approximately 82-mile, 230kV transmission line to improve system reliability and support future growth across a multi-county service area in South-Central Florida, including enhancements to existing substations and infrastructure. Given the scale of the corridor, the regulatory complexity of siting a high-voltage line across multiple jurisdictions, and the need for sustained public buy-in along the route, the company turned to ECT for its power delivery expertise.
ECT provided full-service routing, siting, and environmental permitting support for the transmission line, beginning with field surveys to identify and document wetlands and habitat for threatened and endangered species. This included gopher tortoise permitting and relocations, with concentrated survey and conservation permitting effort. ECT also conducted Phase I Cultural Resources Assessment Surveys to evaluate associated facilities, including a substation expansion, for potential impacts to archaeological sites and historic resources. Our team also led community engagement efforts to keep residents and local officials informed and involved throughout the siting process. On the regulatory side, ECT managed a multi-agency permitting effort spanning two Florida Department of Environmental Protection districts and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, including a Section 408 permit to address the line’s crossing of the Kissimmee River.
This project spanned multiple segments of transmission line, requiring ECT to align construction schedules while managing parallel regulatory tracks across agencies without delaying the project schedule. Through this approach, ECT delivered a fully permitted, multi-jurisdictional transmission corridor that positions the utility company to improve system reliability and support continued growth across its South-Central Florida service territory, while maintaining strong community relationships and regulatory compliance across every phase.