WALTERS – A new electrical substation will benefit the Walters community by boosting its energy capacity from 7,500 kilovolt-amperes to 12,500 KVA, said the town’s electrical supervisor, Roger Noland.
“There will be fewer outages and greater capacity for expansion,” he said. “More reliable power because of the newer technology.”
Town officials broke ground Thursday for the new electrical substation, located next to the current substation on County Road 2630 in Walters. The project will replace the existing substation, which dates back to the late 1970s.
Walters’ current substation has needed a major upgrade for more than 20 years, said City Manager Matt LaFee. He said officials worked diligently to secure funding for the project, but their early efforts did not bear fruit.
“Everything changed when Congressman Tom Cole visited Walters, and our goals and vision for the future became the reality,” LaFee said. “The substation – it’s reliable infrastructure, and it’s critical to everything that we do in this community. And I think that Congressman Cole understood the importance of this project.”
With Cole’s help, Walters secured a $4.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the project, LaFee said.
“This investment will strengthen our electrical system, improve reliability, support future growth and serve our residents and businesses for future generations to come,” he said. “This project is proof that when local leaders, state leaders, federal partners and community partners work together, great things can happen.”
Cole said cities across the country compete for HUD grants, and most communities do not succeed in securing federal funding for their projects.
“We got there because we have great leadership who knew exactly what you wanted to do and knew exactly what you needed,” he said. “They were very specific as to what it would take.”
Improving reliability
The new substation will supplement the existing substation instead of replacing it, LaFee said Thursday.
“Our current plan is to keep the existing substation in service as a backup and redundancy measure, which will improve the reliability and resiliency of our electric system,” he said in an email. “In addition, maintaining the existing substation could provide opportunities for future economic development and commercial growth by allowing us to better serve increased electrical demand as our community expands.”
Town officials are still evaluating long-term operating plans for both substations, with the goal of strengthening the electrical system and positioning Walters for future growth while maintaining reliable service for its customers, LaFee said.