Lane Electric McKenzie River Update
Lane Electric statement – 9/12/20
As a reminder, power flows from BPA through substations and then progressively down the lines to our homes. So, the first thing to assess was our one and only substation in the area to make sure we were ready to receive power from BPA. This substation is located to the east just outside of Blue River and not surprisingly called the Blue River Substation.
The bright side is that with the exception of one tree that fell into the fencing and a minor bit of the bussing, our substation was essentially spared!
It is important to point out this didn’t happen by accident. Lane Electric takes safety seriously and it is a part of our standard safety operating procedures to clear our rights of way, the areas around our power lines and substations, on a routine basis. While the required clearance around a substation is only about 10 feet, this July we worked with our substation?s neighbor who allowed us to clear a 60-foot perimeter down to the dirt! This generous act ended up saving the substation and assured that those still up there can now get power in a MUCH shorter time frame.
So, what is that time frame you ask? There are a lot of moving parts, but the plan is to have the mainline headed east out of our substation up to the Blue Sky Market, Takoda’s and Harbick’s area energized by Wednesday of next week! All of the taps – those that flow off of the mainline will of course then need to be individually surveyed before they can be energized. We will continue to assess the situation over the weekend and hope to have more information for you on Monday.
We have secured a 2 megawatt generator, that weighs an amazing 90,000lbs, to be brought in on Monday. We will be working over the weekend to replace poles and reinforce lines, so we are ready to energize the area mentioned above by Wednesday.
The generator can run for 20 days at a time before it will need to be shut down and serviced. That means we will be down for half a day as they refuel and change the oil, filters, etc. We will of course send out notices in advance of this happening.
We are also actively making plans to repair the area between Vida and Blue River coming from the western part of our service territory. We want to be ready when we are given permission to begin working there.
We are in almost constant coordination with dozens of organizations across the local, state and federal levels to get the work done. We sincerely and whole-heartedly appreciate their support and prompt response to the needs of our McKenzie communities.
Stay safe and please do not approach downed lines. Always assume that they are energized!
Thank you!
