Optimization of power transmission line location at tropical forest area in avoiding endangered tree species

Due to social defiance, there was a controversial issue regarding the development of new high-voltage overhead power lines (HVOPL) in electricity companies. In developing the infrastructure of new power infrastructure design, the psychological aspects of the country culture need to be considered and accept its advancement as part of important components in the physical environment of the community. Species of the tropical tree such as Aquilaria malaccensis and Dipterocarpus concavus was listed as Critically Endangered by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Therefore, this paper is to overcome the issues of transmission line siting to avoid endangered tree species. Due to the rising demand for power supply, site exploration and automated technology development have become necessary. One of the suitable sites to set up the transmission line is in the tropical forest area, resulting in forest clearing for transmission Right-Of-Way (ROW) that threatens endangered tree species. This study aims to propose the optimization power transmission line sitting using geospatial data at the tropical forest in avoiding the endangered tree species. Previously, the best route for transmission line siting in a particular location was determined based on expert opinion and drawn manually on paper. Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies with the optimize least-cost path (LCP) siting by considering the related multi-criteria features including endangered tree species, slope, average wind speed, and human mask was introduced. The transmission line siting optimization using the reclassification algorithm to weigh the relevant multi-criteria and LCP tools carried out data processing on the Model Builder platform. Finally, mapping suitable power transmission line siting development using geospatial data in avoided endangered tree species in tropical forest areas. The output will be the guideline or reference for any utility company for transmission line siting development at tropical forest area using GIS.