Mobile Substations Bring Power Back to North Carolina Town After Hurricane Helene
"Truly amazing what Utilities can do to mobilize and make a temporary substation!"
Image for illustration purposes.
Hurricane Helene brought devastating flooding to Western North Carolina, leaving thousands without power. In the small community of Swannanoa, just outside of Asheville, the storm destroyed electrical distribution infrastructure, including a substation along the Swannanoa River. The damage was so severe that the substation cannot be repaired and must be replaced.
To restore power to the area, Duke Energy deployed mobile substations, which are essentially temporary power solutions that can be wheeled into place. Two mobile substations were brought in, one providing power for approximately 4,900 customers and the other for about 6,700 customers. Each substation weighs around 200,000 pounds and was installed to provide power while repairs are underway.
The hurricane damaged a significant portion of the electric system in the North Carolina mountains and South Carolina upstate, including transmission towers, substations, utility poles, power lines, and other major equipment. Duke Energy is focused on rebuilding the backbone of its electrical infrastructure, including installing new transformers, main power lines, and infrastructure needed to provide power to customers when they are ready for service.
The use of mobile substations is a temporary solution to get power back to customers quickly. According to Duke Energy, it could mean the difference between an outage that lasts weeks versus an outage that will last days. The mobile substations were brought in on trailers, and installation began shortly after arrival.
The deployment of mobile substations is a testament to the preparedness and dedication of utility companies like Duke Energy. As one commenter noted, “Such ‘active preparedness’ requires genuine executive leadership, which should always place the ‘customers first’ consistently – and well before their salary with rate increases of the top utility executive, above their dedicated and skilled technicians who actually do the “real work” and make full electric recovery possible.”
Source: POWERGRID International
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