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Two new
substations planned in
high-growth areas
New facilities
will serve Lakeside, North Kalispell
Two new Flathead Electric
substations in Lakeside and North Kalispell are planned to meet rapid growth
and increase reliability of the Co-op’s electrical system in two of the
fastest-growing areas of the Flathead Valley.
“These substations will meet the needs of existing members, meet load growth
in the future and ensure that our system will remain reliable,” said Brian
Plunkett, System Protection Engineer for the Co-op.
The Lakeside substation will be located on Bierney Creek Road, west of
Highway 93, and the North Kalispell substation will be in the vicinity of
the Highway 93 North and Four Mile Drive. Land for the Lakeside substation
has been acquired, and work on site acquisition is under way for the North
Kalispell substation. Both substations are scheduled to be completed by the
fall of 2005 or spring of 2006
Plunkett said design work has started on both substations, and construction
will begin next spring. The North Kalispell substation will more than double
the capacity to serve the area, while the Lakeside substation will triple
existing capacity there.
Construction of new substations is deferred as long as possible by adding
capacity to existing substations and shifting loads when possible to
substations which have unused capacity.
“We’re looking at the loads and also looking at what’s being built there,”
Plunkett said. “Growth is just not stopping and we are preparing for it.”
Flathead Electric now has 26 substations in its service area. Substations
transform high-voltage electricity down to distribution voltage to serve
homes and businesses.
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