Cedar-Knox PPD in process of building 18th substation

WAUSA – The Cedar-Knox Public Power District is in the process of building another substation to keep up with the rising demand for reliable electricity.

Work started this spring on the Hartington-based public power district’s 2023 Pleasant Valley Substation project, which is located at the intersection of 881st Road and 553rd Avenue, southwest of the junction of Highways 81 and 84.

Tim Loberg, operations coordinator for Cedar-Knox, explained the project is for “relieving circuits on Hartington, Crofton and Wausa substations that are near maximum potential during heavily loaded times of the summer.”

He added the project will benefit “Cedar-Knox customers in the area by providing quality power and allowing future growth.”

The project is proposed to cost about $2.1 million.

“The district will fund the project as part of our normal work plan budget,” Loberg said.

The project will include the installation of new overhead transmission lines, which will start about a half mile west of the T-intersection of Highways 84 and 121 and run east about 3.5 miles to where the new substation will be located.

There also will be about five miles of distribution lines to tie the project to other substations for load balance and back-feed situations.

“Not expected to affect any customers other than providing better resiliency to the electrical grid,” Loberg said of the project. He noted the public power district will be building the majority of the project, from setting poles for the transmission lines to erecting steel in the substation. Dennis Anderson Construction of Coleridge has been contracted to perform the concrete work inside the substation.

“Dennis has done several of these substation concrete projects for CKPPD over the past years,” Loberg said. “Depending on workload next spring, a contractor may be hired to string the 3.5 miles of conductor.”

He noted the project has been studied and planned for about five years.

“We do a five-year work plan and load studies to target areas that show potential need for upgrades,” Loberg said.

He described the work that is currently being done on the project.

“Dirt work is complete and the concrete pads are currently being poured for the substation transformer and steel structure bases,” Loberg said.

“Steel has been ordered for the substation, and poles and line materials are currently being quoted,” he said.

He noted work on the project is slightly behind schedule due to how long this past winter lasted.

“Dirt work and staking of the transmission were delayed,” Loberg said. “Depending on the supply chain for materials being ordered, we are hopeful to complete the project before the heavy loaded summer peak in 2024.”

He noted the project marks Cedar-Knox’s 18th substation.

“Over the last 30 years, we have built seven new substations to keep up with the rising demand of electrical load to assure our customers reliable power they can count on,” Loberg said.