ECE upgrades substation to serve Pine City area growth

Pine City, Minn. -- East Central Energy invested a million dollars to install two new transformers at its Pine City substation. This meets growing demand for electricity as well as improving service reliability in the Pine City area, reports Dave Curtis, ECE operations manager. Until recently, the facility had reserve capacity to handle peak demands for electricity, according to Nick Koslowski, ECE substation supervisor. However, with area growth the substation was reaching its capacity. The project was part of East Central Energy's $57 million four-year work plan to improve system infrastructure and accommodate new growth across its service territory.

"The transformers we replaced each served roughly half the ECE members in Pine City," Koslowski points out. "In this year's upgrade we replaced each of those units with a transformer that can provide enough electricity for the entire city, with some reserve capacity to handle peak demands."

To install the new transformers, ECE had to temporarily reroute parts of the substation. They completed the work this fall because during this narrow window between summer and winter peak demands for electricity, the project could be done without prolonged service interruptions for ECE members.

East Central Energy www.eastcentralenergy.com is a member-owned electric cooperative that serves more than 56,000 homes, farms and businesses in east central Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin. ECE provides electricity, Internet and long distance services as well as community and business development and environmental services.


Photo Caption: East Central Energy contracted a heavy equipment mover that used this large crane as well as jacks and winches to move two new 50-ton transformers into its Pine City substation.