KENTUCKY POWER MAKING EQUIPMENT UPGRADES TO IMPROVE RELIABILITY
FRANKFORT, Ky., February 12, 2016 – A transmission improvement project that will bolster reliability for customers in eastern Kentucky reached a major stage on Friday with the installation of the first of four new transformers near Louisa.
Each of the 750 mega volt amp (MVA) transformers weighs in at about 700,000 pounds each and requires the use of special equipment to move into place at the Baker Substation. The transformers, made in Sweden, arrived in the U.S. via ship. They then were transported by rail to Kentucky Power’s Big Sandy Power Plant. The first one was then loaded onto a 36-axel device to then transport transformer less than a mile to the substation.
“This project represents a significant investment in eastern Kentucky and will improve reliability for our residential, commercial and industrial customers,” said Kentucky Power President and COO Greg Pauley. “This project is one way we are modernizing our power delivery infrastructure and supporting our commitment to provide our customers with safe, reliable and affordable electrical service.”
The transformers (three and a spare) are part of a $70 million expansion and upgrade of the 765 kilovolt (kV) Baker Substation and part of a larger commitment by Kentucky Power and AEP to improve power quality and minimize outages. The project, slated to be completed by June 1, also includes the installation of new circuit breakers and a drop-in control module.
In addition, four new 765 kV reactors (three and a spare) and switches were installed after one of the 1970s vintage reactors caught on fire in November 19, 2014. Substations direct the flow of electricity and use transformers to transform the voltage to different levels. Reactors are used for voltage control.
Kentucky Power, with headquarters in Frankfort, Ky., provides service to nearly 170,000 customers in all or part of 20 eastern Kentucky counties. It is a unit of the American Electric Power system, one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, with nearly 5.4 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 32,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a more than 40,000-mile network that includes more 765-kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined.
NEWS MEDIA ADVISORY
WHAT: Kentucky Power and AEP Transmission to move the first of three 700,000 pound transformers from the rail yard at the Big Sandy Power Plant north along U.S. Route 23 to the Baker Substation.
WHY: The transformer is part of multi-million dollar infrastructure upgrade to improve reliability and minimize outages.
WHEN: Friday, February 12, 2016, 9 a.m.
WHERE: Baker Substation, by the gate, U.S. Route 23, near the Big Sandy Power Plant, 23000 Highway 23, Louisa.
VISUALS: The transformer will be moved using a 36-axel device and will require the shutdown of U.S. Route 23 until the move is complete.
