Substation Connections Improve System
Projects planned this year at West Glacier, Badrock
Work scheduled for this year at a number of the Co-op’s substations will improve system reliability and give more flexibility to shift electrical loads around the system, based on demand and capacity at various substations.
It’s part of a continuing effort to upgrade the system and integrate the former PacifiCorp system with the original Co-op distribution system, which were not compatible without modifications to make them interconnect smoothly.
"This is the first year that we’ve really made an aggressive effort to make the system match," said Engineering Manager John Eisinger. "An integrated system improves reliability, helps us defer capital expenditures and makes our operation run more smoothly."
Work was completed earlier this year at West Valley, Echo Lake, Lake Blaine, LaSalle and Kalispell substations, and work is scheduled this fall at the Badrock Substation, which serves the Hungry Horse area, and the West Glacier Substation.
Planned power outages range from a few seconds to two hours, and news
releases are sent out in advance to notify customers who will be affected.
The two-hour outages are generally scheduled at a low-use time, such as
midnight to 2 a.m., to avoid inconvenience to members.
An integrated system provides many advantages, including increased
reliability and more options for providing service in case of a power
outage. The project also saves money in capital expenditures, since the load
can be more evenly distributed among substations.
For example, load from the fast-growing North Kalispell area may be
redistributed between the Stillwater and Appleway substations, based on
demand. In case of a power outage, electricity can be temporarily provided
through an adjacent substation while repairs are made.
"We are putting more and more ties together to integrate these
substations, improving our reliability and giving us more flexibility and
capacity to handle load growth," Eisinger said. "The result will be more
reliable service for all our members."
Bigfork student plans to study nursing at MSU
Mallory St. Sauver of Bigfork is the winner of a $2,000 Flathead Electric scholarship, replacing Maureen Sullivan, who decided to attend college out of state.
Mallory,
daughter of Mark and Rachel St. Sauver, plans to study nursing at
Montana State University in Bozeman. She graduated ninth in her class
and maintained a 3.904 gradepoint average.
Her activities during high school included pep band and concert band. She was inducted into the National Honor Society her senior year. She is an active member of her church group and has volunteered for community activities.
"After careful consideration of almost every possible career I could pursue, I decided I would be happiest and most comfortable as a nurse," Mallory wrote in her personal statement. "I think nursing is an area where you can reach out and help someone when times are difficult for them, which is why nursing is such an honorable and personally rewarding profession."