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System Maintenance
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| AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE |
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| Missoula Electric Cooperative (MEC) is a member-owned electric distribution cooperative created to serve the electrical needs of our member-owners. Since our inception, safety, reliability and service-quality have been among our highest priorities. Achieving our goals requires continuous investment in maintenance programs to keep the system in top working order. |
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| MEC’s responsibility for system maintenance begins at the substation. Over the past few years, significant upgrades have been made to the majority of the sixteen substations we own. Much like a vehicle’s engine, a substation transformer is the heart of the distribution system. During 2011, we replaced units in Huson, Clinton and Seeley Lake. These upgrades were preceded by regulator and re-closer change-outs at these and other substations in an effort to ensure safety, reliability and power quality. |
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MEC owns nearly 2,100 miles of line, and whether above ground or below, this is where our maintenance programs are most visible to the members. These overhead lines won’t stay in the air if the poles that support them fail. Our aggressive pole testing and replacement program has tested thousands of poles from Rock Creek to Helmville during the past two years, identifying hundreds that either have been or will be replaced due to age and deterioration
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| Significant effort is also being made to upgrade the wires that deliver the energy to the end user. Whether customer load has outgrown the size of the wire, or the wires have failed due to age, MEC actively pursues line upgrades both above and below ground. In some areas, the growth of our system has exceeded the capacity of the original lines installed. This problem is solved by increasing the size of the wire and related carrying capacity in order to serve more homes and businesses and deliver more energy. In other areas, the original underground cable installed was of poor design resulting in a shorter than expected useful life. Advancements in cable technology have translated to replacement cable, which is far more robust and fail-resistant, giving it a much longer expected life. Examples of projects completed to improve our distribution system cable and wires include Big Flat Road and Cote Lane, Morrison Lane in the Potomac Valley and along Highway 241 near Helmville. |
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| Our tree-trimming crews are an essential part of keeping the power flowing and reducing the annoying blinks that require resetting all the electronic clocks in the house. The process of maintaining a clear right-of-way has been complicated somewhat by the extensive beetle kill situation, which we have documented in past editions of this newsletter |
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| Farther down the line, each account relies on a meter and automated reading device called a “Turtle” to transmit usage data back to our office. While meter problems are extremely rare, periodic testing of this equipment not only helps keep the power flowing, but ensures that you will be billed for the proper amount of energy that you have consumed each billing period. Our metering staff is actively engaged in a system-wide program to test all meters during the next few years. |
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| As you can see, there is no shortage of system maintenance projects to be completed even during these slowed economic times. Our mission at MEC is to maintain a safe and reliable electric system, and these on-going programs are the way we protect the integrity of that system on behalf of our membership. The employees, management and board of directors of MEC are committed to meeting the service needs of our member-owners at reasonable rates while ensuring the safe and reliable operation of the distribution system for this generation and the next. If you have any questions or concerns don’t hesitate to give me a call. |
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Regards,
Mark Hayden
General Manager