EWEB is upgrading the Danebo Substation in Northwest Eugene between Williams St and Harriet St, which serves electricity to 6,000 people. The budget for the Danebo substation upgrades is $5 million. 

Upgrades to the substation include: 

• New robust and deep foundations, equipment designed to current seismic standards, and flexible connections to allow structures within the substation to move independently of each other during an earthquake. 

• Modernized equipment and design to meet future energy demand and reliability needs. 

• Public safety and security enhancements 

Substation transformers are a critical piece of the electrical grid.  

Substations change, or “step down,” high-voltage electricity from power generation stations to levels that can be safely distributed to power homes and businesses. EWEB has 38 substations in its electrical grid. 

Investing today for a resilient tomorrow 

The Danebo Substation was first constructed in 1965 during an infrastructure boom that accompanied Eugene's rapid expansion. Most EWEB substations were built in the 1970s. As a result, many transformers are over 40 years old, with a few reaching 70 years old.  

EWEB plans to address this aging infrastructure bubble with 10 major substation upgrades in the next 10 years. The first was the Currin Substation near Garden Way and Interstate 105, which underwent a complete rebuild over the past two years. The Currin substation returned to service in the fall of 2024. While Currin was a complete reconstruction, Danebo only needs partial upgrades. These upgrades will ensure customers continue to receive reliable electricity while other substations in EWEB's grid undergo a complete rebuild in the years ahead. While those substations are shut down for construction, electricity will continue to flow to customers through substations like Danebo. 

The work EWEB crews perform over the next ten years will result in a new generation of EWEB substations, providing reliable power to customers for the next half century and beyond.