Orcas Island gets a New Transformer

September 11, 2026

Posted in Construction, Engineering and Operations

Update prepares cooperative for expected growth

Orcas Island got a new transformer this summer to replace one from 1970. This equipment takes high-voltage electricity and steps it down to a smaller voltage to deliver electricity to homes and businesses on Orcas.

The Orcas Power & Light Cooperative team spent about six months planning and designing the replacement of this critical infrastructure. Coordinating a complex project like this requires logistical work. The work included securing a barge, a crane, a trucking company and a rightof-way permit through the county before the Orcas line crew and several OPALCO engineers could make the switch. The delivery had to be timed with the tides so the barge could deliver on North Beach.

The new transformer includes more capacity for the expected growth in electricity use in the coming decades.

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