Back to Blog

OPALCO Improves Reliability with Olga Substation Upgrade

Last week a big package arrived by barge at Obstruction Pass landing: a twelve‐ton transformer for Orcas Power & Light’s Olga Substation. The transformer was delivered to the substation, where it was met by a sixty‐ton crane to lift it into place. OPALCO’s line crew, substation technician and engineers have been hard at work to upgrade the Olga Substation, bringing it up to current standards and improving system reliability for Orcas, Decatur and Blakely Islanders.

The Olga Substation was built in 1968. In 2008, the Orcas crew upgraded the circuit breakers, controlling the power that flows out. The second phase of the upgrade began on January 1st to add the new transformer, tie the Olga and Eastsound substations together, redo the ground grid system and install additional power quality monitoring equipment. Special “ohmed” rock was installed to meet safety requirements. This rock holds up to one million ohms of resistance to protect crew members working in the substation. Currently in the testing phase, the new transformer is slated to come online in mid‐March.

OPALCO members will benefit from increased system reliability: with the two substations “phased” together, line crews will be able to reroute power to reduce outage times; and the improvements provide a stable backup system for service to Decatur and Blakely Islands. In December 2008, OPALCO also leased another submarine cable (already in place) from Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) to serve Center, Decatur and Blakely Islands as well as the Olga substation. System Engineer Joel Mietzner said, “with the additional BPA cable online, substation and system improvements, we’re giving members the best power quality and reliability that we can provide.”

OPALCO is a member‐owned cooperative electrical utility serving more than 14,000 accounts on 20 islands in San Juan County.  OPALCO provides electricity that is 97% greenhouse‐gas free and is predominately generated by hydro‐electric plants. OPALCO was founded in 1937 to bring electricity to rural islanders and is one of 900 electric co‐ops in the United States today.

You may also like...

virtual meeting stock

Meet the OPALCO Board Candidates March 9th. Ballots hit the mail March 10th.

As a member-owned cooperative, OPALCO members elect the Board of Directors who are responsible for setting policies and rates, essentially guiding the course for our electric utility. The 2023 nominations … Read more
oddfellows

Ask Lindsay: Tips for Businesses in San Juan County

What programs are available to OPALCO businesses? In 2023, OPALCO has a grant-funded program for businesses called Energize San Juans. This grant helps businesses and farms in the islands upgrade … Read more
vote

EGC Announces OPALCO Board Candidates – Nominations by Petition Due February 17th

The volunteer member Elections & Governance Committee (EGC) has completed their nominations process and selected a slate of candidates for the 2023 OPALCO Board of Directors election. There are two … Read more