Public Service Company of Oklahoma announced the completion of an infrastructure project aimed at improving power reliability for the communities of Chelsea and Foyil in northeastern Oklahoma.
The company explained that the project, part of the Distribution Automation Circuit Recovery (DACR) program, involved upgrading and rebuilding power lines between Chelsea and Nowata, which will provide an additional source of power even when outages occur on other lines.
In 2022, as part of the DACR program, PSO identified a distribution line between the Chelsea and Nowata substations that needed to be upgraded. Following improvements, the line is now able to handle more power, allowing PSO to better manage load placed on the grid. Previously, maintenance on the Chelsea substation resulted in planned outages for Chelsea and Foyil.
PSO said that thanks to the new infrastructure, it can redirect power, ensuring these communities remain energized, minimizing disruptions to customers even when planned maintenance work is occurring.
“The Chelsea substation, serving Chelsea and Foyil, is crucial for local power supply. By reworking this circuit and installing two regulator stations, PSO can now energize Chelsea and Foyil from the Nowata substation,” said PSO technician Jason Lawson.
“This ensures continuous power supply during maintenance outages, enhancing reliability and minimizing disruptions.”
The new line spans 20 miles and stretches across the north end of Oologah Lake on Highway 60. PSO crews made use of several large cranes to work around barriers and set new poles for the project. Crews put the final touches on the project earlier this month and the line is now fully operational.
