Meet Kai Burleson, Journeyman Lineman
Kai Burleson is a Lopez High School graduate and has been a Journeyman Lineman since 2008 after a four-year apprenticeship with OPALCO. Kai is the Lopez Island Substation Technician and … Read more
Lineworkers
Islanders Brace Through Second County-wide Outage on Christmas Eve
At 8:30 am on Saturday, December 24, all of San Juan County lost power again – after experiencing a county wide outage only the day before. An OPALCO engineer happened … Read more
Extreme Winter Weather Leads to County-wide ~10-hour Power Outage
Just before 5 pm on Thursday, December 22, as temperatures dipped into the low 20s, a mainland electrical feeder serving San Juan County lost power. Shortly after the power went … Read more
Power Line Clearing Improves Safety, Reliability and Wildfire Prevention
OPALCO is clearing the right-of-way areas under power lines to protect the island’s electrical system. This clearing prevents power outages caused by overhanging trees and branches, removes forest fuels that … Read more
Big Winds Knock Power out for 18+ Hours in San Juan County
In the early morning hours of Wednesday, January 13th, a big storm hit the Northwest region of Washington state with wind gusts of 50-65 mph in the San Juan Island … Read more
Local OPALCO Crew Rebuilds Line on San Juan Island
Our local line crew is working on a large project to rebuild and strengthen the electric distribution line that connects Roche Harbor and Friday Harbor substations. The project includes installation … Read more