Valuing externalities from energy infrastructures through stated preferences: A geographically stratified sampling approach

The study offers a comprehensive assessment of the externalities produced by high voltage transmission lines as perceived by residents in infrastructure corridors. A GIS approach has been experimented to design a geographically stratified contingent valuation sample. We estimate, by means of a binary choice logit model, the perceived marginal damage from impacts of power lines on human health, the landscape and the environment. We give specific treatment to qualitatively different forms of impact, namely real estate depreciation vs. diffused perception of damage, arising at different distances from the lines. The set of GIS-based variables (proximity to power lines, presence of other infrastructure, endowment of built heritage and other local context variables) prove to be significant predictors in the modelled utility function of resident households. Finally, we compute simulated values that combine information on individual WTPs, the dimension of the considered corridor around the infrastructure and population density, so as to generalize the outcomes of case-specific studies for application in policy choices such as infrastructure localization, undergrounding and negotiation of compensations.