IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - July/August 2016 - 84

process, planning procedures within 50Hertz, sources of transmitted electricity and how decisions were addressed in the
regional need development plan, and which data were used for
development of electricity demand assessment and renewable
energy generation in the region. More information was also
requested about the impacts from construction of new lines on
leveled costs of electricity, types of planned pylons, and possible impacts from EMFs. Several concerns were expressed
about the transparent calculation of compensations volumes.

Engagement
Stakeholders in the region of the underground WaterlooBraine D'Alleud cable had already participated in discussions about infrastructure projects, such as land planning,
mobility projects, and the deployment of a 150-kV line.
However, this experience was mostly limited to providing
feedback about the project. Regarding underground cable,
stakeholders were concerned about two issues: 1) the right
time for participation and 2) if their voices would be heard
and if participation will change anything. The first issue
was due to the fact that information events took place early
enough, but they were not followed by reaction from the
community side. Therefore, it might be too early to organize
such events as people are not really aware of the project and
do not know much about it. There were also concerns about
the impact on volunteers, who had committed their time by
participating in meetings and discussions and their willingness to participate in such meetings in the future, for the
decision to cancel the project .
In the Stevin pilot, there were concerns that participant
feedback would not be addressed. Participants were also
asking why politicians were absent during information sessions. Participating public authorities were concerned that
a number of local organizations were not present and that
concerns of local communities about the project were not
taken seriously by regional government.
In the Bertikow-Pasewalk connection, participants requested information about stakeholders who were involved
in the development of renewable energy scenarios in the
region. The recommendations were also to distribute information about possibilities for participation through official
journals. Inhabitants mentioned the need for involvement of
technical committees in local parliaments and local politicians as multipliers of information. Concerns were also
expressed about time of participation, which should be also
convenient for people who are at work during daytime.

Environment
In the Waterloo-Braine D'Alleud cable, the majority of stakeholders expressed concerns regarding construction work
and, connected with them, restrictions of mobility and noise.
There are concerns about possible impacts from construction works on buildings in proximity to the project, such as
accessibility to the nursing house during construction works.
Concerns were expressed about the regulatory framework on
july/august 2016

environment protection and how it will be applied in the case
of this project, such as the relationship between the schemes
of regional development, the need to preserve green areas,
and the proximity to the urban centers. Environmental stakeholders also believed that there is a need for holistic analysis
of impacts on environment from all types of existing infrastructure in the communities' infrastructure. Environmental stakeholders were concerned about health impact of the
underground cable.
In the Stevin pilot, inhabitants were concerned with the
visibility of electricity transmission infrastructure as well as
negative impacts on biodiversity and noise. They requested
independent studies on environmental impacts for identified
corridors and on electromagnetic fields as well as an evaluation of cumulative effects from all infrastructure projects on
human activities and environment.
In the SUED.LINK of TenneT, several concerns were
raised about the visibility of the transmission infrastructure. Inhabitants proposed alternative forms to provide
information about the planned infrastructure, such as the
three-dimensional visualization that could help them to better understand the impact on the landscape. Such visualizations could also make different phases of the planning
process more tangible and to show decision making in each
phase and how it relates to official planning and permitting.
Visualization could also provide information about actual
models of pylons and how they are changing the landscape.
The lack of visual material about pylon design and alternatives was frequently mentioned as a point for improvement.
Interestingly, those communities with strong opposition to
SUED.LINK, such as Elfershausen and Bad Brückenau,
already had experience with renewable energy infrastructure, which was visible and affecting the landscape. But
this infrastructure was mainly for decentralized small-scale
energy generation, such as solar photovoltaics.
In the Bertikow-Pasewalk connection, stakeholders were
discussing possibilities for coupling a new line with an existing 110-kV line to decrease impacts on environment. At the
same time, they were discussing alternatives to the corridor
of 110 kV, which was constructed several years ago, when
little attention was given to mitigating possible impacts on
environment and human settlements and on agriculture and
landscape. Stakeholders were requesting consideration of
other existing infrastructure projects such as gas pipelines
and construction of lines along these projects to minimize
impacts on environment, taking into consideration that this
infrastructure has already impacted the environment and
human activities around it. Other concerns included impacts
from electromagnetic fields on human health and from construction works on the recreation and nature-protected areas
around the community.

Benefit
In the Waterloo-Braine l'Alleud project, stakeholders were
concerned about compensation for local communities,
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - July/August 2016