Manager’s Message, December 2016

Dear Members:

It is hard to believe I am writing a December back page already! Last December, we were knee-deep in storm season, and that turned out to be major event. That storm set us back around $1.4 million. The good news is, we were able to recover around $1.1 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Due to a landslide, the Timber/Elsie transmission line had been out of service since last December’s storms. Fortunately, we were able to back up the Elsie area from the Mist Substation. By the time you read this, we will have repaired that section of line, and the Elsie Substation will be back online.

There were many improvements to the system, but the major ones tackled this year involve the Necanicum Substation feedlines; replacement of the overhead lines running over the Highway 26 tunnel with underground line; and replacement of a section of underground line along Hayward Road.

We are starting to see significant reduction in treerelated outages due to right-of-way maintenance since 2014. Tree-related outages in 2014 totaled 2,208 hours. The number has been dropping steadily. This year, tree-related outages accounted for only 834 hours to date.

We will continue our quest to improve the system next year so you can enjoy the benefits of reliable electric service.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Regards,

Bob Perry General Manager