CHICKASHA — Public Service Co. of Oklahoma plans to replace approximately five miles of electric transmission line south of Chickasha early next year.
The electric utility company is securing easements along the route for the South Chickasha Transmission Improvements Project, said Wayne Greene, PSO’s region communications manager.
“We plan to start transmission line construction in January 2024. Pre-construction activities are likely to start in late 2023,” Greene said. That will include work such as right-of-way access clearing and installation of gates and culverts that will enable PSO representatives to safely access areas within the company’s easements. “This work might involve removing fences, trees, and other obstructions from the right-of-way area where necessary,” PSO announced.
The project will extend from the Norge Road substation on South 29th Street and proceed eastward along West Country Club Road, past U.S. 81 and Sooner Road, over the Washita River and across north/south County Road 2862 to the Cornville Substation, a company-provided map indicates.
PSO expects the project to conclude in May 2024, “depending on weather and other factors.”
The 138-kilovolt power line was constructed in 1964, records show, and the existing wires and wooden poles “are reaching the end of their expected service life,” Greene said.
Rebuilding the line with modern steel poles and new wires will upgrade the local power grid.
“Weather events and other factors have led to power outages along this line since 2015,” Greene said. “Rebuilding this line to strengthen it against weather impacts will enhance reliability for customers.”
The project also will include minor upgrades to substation equipment along the line route, PSO reported.
Also, increased solar and wind generation development in western Oklahoma has increased “line flows” of electrical load, Greene said. “Rebuilding this line to modern standards will help accommodate this increased load flow.”
Although the line is being reconstructed, “the voltage isn’t changing; it will remain a 138-kV transmission line,” said Greene. The line is considered part of the local transmission system serving Chickasha.
PSO, a Tulsa-based subsidiary of American Electric Power, is an electric utility company serving more than 568,000 customer accounts in 232 communities in eastern and southwestern Oklahoma.