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The rising cost of gasoline and growing consequences of climate change are driving more and more people to look for alternatives to gas-powered vehicles. And EVs offer benefits that go beyond the gas pump.
Find Out MoreElectric vehicle (EV) sales are poised to skyrocket in the years ahead as technology improves, more models hit the market, prices fall and regulations limit the sale of gas-powered vehicles. And EWEB is preparing for this surge.
Find Out MoreElectric mobility seems to be everywhere these days, but does availability equal accessibility? Here at EWEB we’ve determined that the answer is ‘no’ and are working to bridge that gap through EV car shares, community grants and electric bike rebates.
Find Out MoreIn Eugene, we take pride in knowing we have one of the cleanest power portfolios in the nation. Roughly 90% of Eugene's power comes from carbon-free hydroelectric energy. And EWEB has a long history offering robust conversation programs. But we wanted to do more, so we launched Lead Green, a suite of programs for climate innovators looking to support renewable energy and take action on climate change. In the year since Lead Green was launched, we've accomplished a lot we can be proud of.
Find Out MoreLearn some of the many ways EWEB customers support local schools and help inspire kids to explore the wonders of watershed health and clean energy resources.
Find Out MoreOur skilled journeymen are experts in their field, with thousands of training hours and real-world experiences.
Find Out MoreNational Infrastructure Week (May 14-20) may be a politically charged quip on the national stage, but for EWEB, the urgency and importance of infrastructure is no joke.
Find Out MoreSeventh graders in the Bethel School District put their handmade wind turbines to the test in a wind power challenge supported by EWEB grants last week.
Find Out MoreEWEB employs multiple methods of safeguarding drinking water, from the source to the tap.
Find Out MoreThe application period is now open for the Electric Mobility Community Grants. Mobility Grants of up to $25,000 will be awared to five nonprofits, schools and academic intitutions, government and other public agencies to cover costs associated with their electric mobility projects.
Find Out MoreEWEB's Greenpower subscribers voted to award this year's Greenpower Grant to Friends of Trees, a local nonprofit that brings trees to areas of Eugene and Springfield with low tree equity.
Find Out MoreFollow along as the Currin Substation, the first of 10 substations in 10 years, is rebuilt from the ground up as part of EWEB's Capital Improvement Plan for major infrastructure investments to rehabilitate, replace, and install new infrastructure.
Find Out MoreToday and every day, we celebrate and honor the hard work, innovation and dedication of electrical line workers.
Find Out MoreIt’s spring-- the time of year when birds are nesting in our trees. EWEB crews take special care to avoid disrupting birds when they’re trimming trees. But tree trimming is a necessary part of delivering safe and reliable power. We went out with a crew to find out how it's done.
Find Out MoreEWEB is excited to announce the eligible candidates for the 2023 Greenpower Grant! The winner of the Greenpower Grant will be voted on by Greenpower subscribers. Learn more about each origanization and their proposal before casting your vote.
Find Out MoreMay 15, 2023 • Robyn Smith, EWEB Communications
The Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) is ramping up to rebuild 10 substations in the next decade, revitalizing a key component of the utility’s electric grid and bringing the infrastructure to modern standards as part of a new Capital Improvement Plan.
Substations serve as key nodes in the electric grid, taking high-voltage power from long-distance transmission lines and “stepping it down” to lower voltages that are safe for distribution to homes and businesses across Eugene.
The rebuild effort has begun with the Currin Substation, which is located near Garden Way and Interstate 105. Crews are currently demolishing the 60-year-old substation. In the weeks ahead, workers will remove the remaining underground infrastructure including concrete and rebar from the old foundations from the site.
After demolition is complete, workers will build the substation’s new foundations, then install new infrastructure that goes below ground level. Finally, crews will install new electrical equipment, most likely in mid to late summer.
“Currin has served our community well for more than 60 years. It’s amazing how the investments of EWEB customers in the 1960s and 1970s still serve us today,” said Philip Peterson, EWEB systems engineer, and the lead engineer on the project. “But in the last few years, especially, we’ve seen a noticeable uptick in equipment failures at the substation. It’s time for us to rebuild and reinvest for the benefit of future generations, while also making sure our equipment meets modern standards.”
Currin functions as the “Grand Central Station” of EWEB’s electrical grid. Power from multiple long-distance transmission lines, including from the Bonneville Power Administration’s lines and PacifiCorp’s transmission lines – flows through the substation. It also serves as a connection hub to EWEB’s Hayden Bridge Water Treatment Plant, customers in the McKenzie River Valley and Eugene’s downtown electrical network. Because of these critical interconnections, EWEB chose to replace Currin first among the 10 planned substation rebuilds.
Most of EWEB’s substations were built during the 1970s, when the population of Eugene was rapidly growing.
Despite the age of some of EWEB’s equipment, the power EWEB supplies is 99.97% reliable, based on 2022 metrics for outage occurrences and length of outages. That level of electric reliability requires consistent investment and maintenance in the whole grid. The grid encompasses everything from power plants to distribution and transmission lines, from substations serving around 2,000 to 6,000 homes to transformers, which typically serve four to six houses, but can serve a whole apartment building, depending on the size.
“Rebuilding Currin will help ensure that EWEB can continue delivering reliable electricity to our customers,” said Tyler Nice, EWEB electric operations manager. “Upgrades to the grid are vital as demand for electricity rises due to customers switching to electric vehicles, electric heat pumps, electric stoves and electric water heaters in an effort to reduce community-wide carbon emissions.”
The rebuilt Currin substation will contribute to improved future reliability by minimizing the frequency of outages resulting from equipment failure or routine maintenance. The substation’s new design also meets modern earthquake standards for infrastructure to better withstand the Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake. The foundations will be larger and deeper so that equipment mounted on top of them won’t overturn or slide during an earthquake.
The $14.8 million project is scheduled to finish in spring 2024. Another nine substations will follow in the next decade, as outlined in EWEB’s 10-year Capital Improvement Plan for major infrastructure investments to rehabilitate and replace aging infrastructure. EWEB forecasts that rebuilding the 10 substations will cost about $125 million.
The Capital Improvement Plan is based on asset management, data, and risk-based decisions, and prioritizes projects into three main categories: risk-based, compulsory, and strategic. These categories will help guide the electric division’s work over the next 10 years. This plan will usher in a new era of EWEB’s electric grid, ensuring reliable power for Eugene’s growing community for the next half a century and beyond.
“EWEB is always searching for the balance between the obligations we have to serve customers today and in the future. The objectives of this plan, spread over the next 10 years, is a great example of our service to both,” Nice said. “A rebuilt substation will last over 50 years into the future, so it is a job worth doing right. That’s why we are focusing on hiring the right people, and ramping up our stock so that over the next couple years these station rebuilds can roll out smoothly with minimal impact to customers.”
More information on EWEB’s electric reliability and resiliency projects can be found at eweb.org/electricreliability.
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