One of two new transformers for the Vining Substation upgrade arrived on June 10. 

In October, the city awarded SPX Transformer Solutions, Inc. a $1 million contract for the two transformers, which are 20 megawatts each. This is the same wattage the old transformer handled. That transformer was delivered in the 1990s by train, but the renovated substation will have two smaller transformers that can be delivered by truck. 

JMS Crane and Rigging placed the transformer that was delivered Thursday on concrete pads that were poured earlier this month. The second transformer will be delivered in August. 

In June 2019, a fire at the Vining Substation shut down power to much of Powell for several hours. The incident drew attention to the need to upgrade the 30-year-old substation. With a series of three planned power outages the following August, the city made repairs to allow the substation to serve the city until the more extensive upgrade could be completed. 

The substation has managed to reliably supply the town with power since those temporary repairs were made. City Administrator Zack Thorington said the outages on Monday were caused by a spike in load on the substation, the source of which is still unknown. 

Despite the demands put on the substations as temperatures soared to triple digits, Thorington said Powell has stayed below the threshold of substation failure, with the exception of the unexplained spike on Monday. 

On Tuesday, city crews monitored electricity demands as afternoon temperatures peaked at 106. The city has four circuits and by flipping switches on poles, the city employees can redirect demand from a circuit that has a high load to one with a lighter demand. This kept any one circuit in town from being overloaded. 

The entire reconstruction project will cost $2.9 million and is expected to be completed before the end of the year. The city will need to hold a series of planned, nighttime power outages sometime this summer.