Ingenieur Vol. 75 ingenieur July 2018-FA | Page 79

exist in at least 98 countries. There is also a wide
range of policies at state, provincial and local
levels.
ADAM BONISLAWSKI
Power Lines & Real Estate
Researchers have demonstrated the impact of
high-voltage towers on the price of adjacent lots
and even land with views of transmission lines.
Research has shown that property next to
power lines comes at a discount. Just how much
of a discount, though, is a little shocking. A recent
study in the Journal of Real Estate Research by
College of Charleston Assistant Professors Chris
Mothorpe and David Wyman, finds that vacant
lots adjacent to high-voltage transmission lines
sell for 45% less than equivalent lots not located
near transmission lines. Non-adjacent lots located
within 1,000 feet of transmission lines sell at a
discount of 18%.
Previous studies have similarly found that
proximity to power lines lowers real-estate values,
but Prof. Mothorpe says most of these analyses
have looked at lots with homes already built,
which, he notes, complicates the question.
“You could have similar lots with similar views
but different houses, and the pricing impact would
be different because the housing structures would
be different,” he says. “So, by just focusing on
vacant land, we did not have to deal with those
kind of issues.”
Assuming a market where land represents
20% of a home’s overall value, the 45% decrease
translates to a drop in total property value of
around 9%, the authors note.
The researchers also developed a “Tower
Visibility Index” that Prof. Mothorpe says accounts
for not only a lot’s proximity to a transmission line
but also whether features like trees or hills hide
the line from view.
For their analysis, the professors used sales
data from 5,455 vacant lots sold between 2000
and 2016 in Pickens County, S.C., where a network
of high-voltage lines transmits electricity from the
Oconee Nuclear Station.
Prof. Mothorpe suggests three main factors
driving the discount: health concerns associated
with proximity to high-voltage lines (though, as the
authors note, researchers have not established
solid links between proximity to power lines and
health issues); the unattractive views; and, for
properties very close to the lines, the humming
sound they produce.
The ASEAN POST
Will we see nuclear energy in Southeast Asia –
Eijas Ariffin
In the past decade Asia has emerged as a
booming market for nuclear energy. According
to the World Nuclear Association, over half of
the world’s nuclear plants under construction
are in Asia. Most of them however are in China
as they account for nearly 40% while the rest
of Asia makes up 60% of nuclear plants under
construction.
The increase in interest in nuclear energy on
the continent is due to the strong economic growth
enjoyed by most countries in the region as well as
an ever-increasing demand for energy.
In Southeast Asia, several countries are
beginning to flirt with the idea of nuclear energy as
they begin to look at ways to meet growing energy
demands. The International Energy Agency (IEA)
highlighted in its Southeast Asia Energy Outlook
2017 report that, Southeast Asia’s energy demand
would grow 60% by 2040.
In April, the ASEAN Centre for Energy
(ACE) published a  “Pre-Feasibility Study on
the Establishment of Nuclear Power Plant in
ASEAN”  with the support of the Government
of Canada under the Nuclear and Radiological
Programme Administrative Support (NRPAS)
programme. The report revealed that five ASEAN
member states – Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam,
Thailand and the Philippines – have been
identified as frontrunners in the race to establish
civilian nuclear power programmes in the region.
These five countries are considered frontrunners
because they have advanced legal and regulatory
frameworks, nuclear energy infrastructures and
the required human resources and organisation
in place.
Another startling fact highlighted by the report
was that the region could have its first operational
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