Alabama Power knows transformative growth sometimes requires transformer growth
Growth doesn’t just mean more homes, businesses and traffic. It also means more demand for electricity.
As communities across Alabama continue to expand, Alabama Power makes moves necessary to serve customers.
Take western Mobile County, where some neighborhoods have doubled and tripled in size over the last several years. Alabama Power met those growing needs for energy by replacing one of the largest pieces of equipment on the electric grid.
This fast-growing area required a larger, more powerful transformer designed to serve customers with safe, reliable power for years to come.
Most customers never see the transformers inside substations or, if they do, they don’t recognize them as such because they look nothing like the gray barrel-shaped transformers on power poles in neighborhoods.
But in a substation, like the Grand Bay Distribution Substation, transformers are the heart of the electrical grid in the area. In this case, somewhere in the neighborhood of 3,700 customers – both homes and businesses in southwest Mobile County – require reliable electricity.
Regular maintenance inspections showed the transformer was working harder to meet the growing demand. Alabama Power determined a new, larger one was needed to serve customers in the area.
“West Mobile and this area are growing very, very rapidly,” said Brett Haymans, Power Delivery team leader for Alabama Power. “This larger transformer allows us to serve more load while also supporting surrounding substations.”
A new, larger transformer will help provide power for the growing area around Grand Bay. (contributed)
The project wasn’t just about replacing equipment. It was about making sure customers have enough reliable power as the area continues to grow.
Customers didn’t have to experience prolonged outages while the work took place. That’s thanks to Alabama Power’s mobile substation – essentially a fully functioning substation on wheels – that was brought in to carry the electrical load while the replacement was made.
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Swapping out a substation transformer that can weigh more than 60 tons is no small feat.
Alabama Power spent months planning and coordinating the transformer replacement among transmission, distribution, field services, heavy-haul contractors and system operators.
Alabama Power set up a mobile substation (upper left) to allow for the replacement of a large substation transformer in Grand Bay. (contributed)
As demand for electricity increased, testing showed the existing transformer was approaching its limits during peak periods of use. Replacing the 22 MVA unit with a new 40 MVA transformer nearly doubles the substation’s capacity, giving customers greater long-term reliability and room for growth.
Customers often notice Alabama Power’s response after storms knock out service. What they don’t always see is the steady work happening every day to help prevent outages before they occur.
“This is what we consider a reliability project,” Haymans said. “That’s what we’re here to do – stay reliable for our customers.”
To learn more about how Alabama Power is investing in a more reliable electric system, visit AlabamaPower.com.