Medium voltage power line and building a house
Building a house is the goal of many people interested in increasing the quality of life. Prior to the implementation of the investment, special attention should be paid to the utilities of the purchased building plot, i.e. equipping the land with the necessary network connections, including power connections. The type of construction connections that can be used depends on the voltage of the line running through the plot. The proximity of power lines will affect the possibility of locating a residential building. Many people may also have doubts whether transmission lines will not endanger their health. Therefore, this issue is worth taking a closer look at.
Power lines: an essential piece of infrastructure
Power lines are parts of the landscape of every place where there is an energy infrastructure. They are necessary for the services of electricity transmission from power plants to individual consumers. When planning the construction of a house, you should familiarize yourself with the types of lines, regulations in force in your country and aspects related to maintaining a high level of safety. In particular, these related to maintaining appropriate distances from the power line to the residential building.
Difficulties in land development with medium voltage power lines
The medium voltage line is used to distribute energy in a certain area, for example, to power buildings located on one street. In the past, lines with a voltage of 40 to 60 kV were used, today the voltage is usually 15 to 20 kV. The medium voltage line running through the plot may make it difficult to build a house, especially in the case of smaller plots. The regulations in force in Poland state that the distance between a building and a cable line of medium voltage from 1 to 45 kV must be at least 5.2 meters, and overhead line – not less than 3 meters. Therefore, building a house on a small plot in the vicinity of a medium voltage power line may be a difficult challenge.
Conditional purchase of real estate under overhead power lines
The presence of a power line on the plot can obviously affect not only the attractiveness, but even the profitability of the entire investment. Therefore, it is worth knowing that the presence of distribution lines may be subject to conditional purchase of real estate. Important – this applies to plots both covered and not covered by local spatial development plans. If the medium voltage power line runs through the plot or is located in a short distance, you can get information on how to modify the house location plan to get the right distance from the power line.
Establishment of transmission easement
Overhead medium voltage power lines are particularly troublesome. They may prevent the proper foundation of the building, moreover, the towers, which are not very aesthetic, do not allow for the desired visual effect. However, it may not be possible to relocate or completely remove the medium voltage line from the plot. A transmission easement could be established on the plot. If you are unsure, check whether the energy supplier has a legal title to use the land. For this purpose, it is worth checking the entries in the land and mortgage register of real estate. In Poland, there is no obligation to make such entries, but it may be the first step in establishing the facts.
Easement usucaption and remuneration
It should be noted that in many cases, after many years of use by the energy supplier, the transmission easement is acquired by usucaption on the basis of a court judgment. In this way, the network owner gains the basis for the legal use of the area and the continuation of electricity transmission. If it is necessary to rebuild the line on a given plot, its owner must apply for the relocation conditions to the network operator. The second option is to apply for appropriate remuneration for the presence of a distribution line on the plot.
If the energy company transmits energy without a legal title, we have a new option in the form of submitting an application for changing the route of the power line or its removal. The appropriate letter should be addressed directly to the owner of the installation. In the absence of contact or refusal to comply with the request, the only way to assert your rights is to go to court. An action should be brought for the removal of energy devices from the property or their reconstruction. It should be emphasized that in this way we also interrupt the course of usucaption, if it has not yet occurred.
Safety of building inhabitants
Some may have doubts whether a power line laid near or on their property will not have a negative impact on health, especially in the long term. These objections must be dispelled. Despite various common opinions, there are no reliable data or studies confirming that a medium voltage power line, or even a high voltage power line, can be harmful to people using the property. However, special safety considerations should be observed due to the possibility of electric shock. In no case, however, are we threatened with ailments such as headaches or insomnia.
As we can see, building a house in an area where a medium voltage power line is located creates certain inconveniences for investors. However, this is not a situation preventing the implementation of the construction plan. It is necessary to ensure that the formal requirements are met and the conflict of interest with the energy supplier is resolved. The building will then be able to be used without any obstacles, and the entire area of the property will be arranged in accordance with the expectations of the residents.