(January 3, 2017) Lexington, Neb. – Dawson Public Power District has begun reconstructing a sub-transmission line between Overton and Elm Creek. The $2 million project is expected to be complete by June 1, 2017. This is the first of three projects Dawson PPD has planned for the area over the next few years.
The project, spanning almost ten miles, will increase system reliability and safety. Transmission line switches will also be installed to redirect power in the event of an outage. Great Plains Power of Grand Island was awarded the bid. The project budget was approved at the December Board Meeting.
Other projects include replacing aging structures for safety purposes and increasing the Village of Overton’s voltage from 2,400 volts to 7,200 volts; the same voltage that runs along Dawson PPD’s rural lines. The voltage conversion will result in the retirement of Overton’s substation located on the east side of town. Instead, the village’s main substation will be reassigned to an existing Dawson PPD substation located southeast of town.
“By increasing the voltage of Overton, it will reduce line loss and allow Dawson PPD to backfeed the community from other rural substations,” said Cole Brodine, Manager of Engineering. “This, in turn, increases reliability and safety for all.”
Line loss is electricity that leaves power lines while traveling to its final destination. It often leaves power lines in the form of heat energy.
Large transmission infrastructure projects like these take many years to plan. Dawson PPD must carefully consider the needs and future growth of the area. This involves budgeting, balancing workload and working with property owners to obtain permission for right of way easement with the smallest impact.
In 2015, Dawson PPD sent out letters to property owners notifying them of the proposed project. Advertisements were also in local newspapers, like the Beacon Observer, asking for feedback by May 1, 2016.
Dawson Public Power District is a Nebraska rural electric utility system that serves south central Nebraska along the Platte River Valley. Organized in 1937, Dawson PPD provides service to more than 23,000 electric meters and maintains over 5,800 miles of power lines. The district’s 5,000 square miles territory includes all of the rural areas in Dawson and Buffalo Counties, approximately two-thirds of Gosper County, a third of Lincoln County and parts of Custer, Sherman and Frontier Counties. Dawson PPD also serves several villages including Hershey, Maxwell, Brady, Farnam, Eustis, Elwood, Eddyville, Smithfield, Overton, Sumner, Miller, Riverdale, Amherst, Odessa and Pleasanton. To learn more, visit www.DawsonPower.com.
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