SLECA issues statement on progress, history of Ashland Substation

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SLECA released information regarding the Ashland Substation and the areas that receive power from it, which are Grand Caillou, Ashland North, Ashland South down to Dulac and Four Point; Dularge down to Theriot.
In an effort to answer questions about why it is taking so long to energize main line feeders out of the Ashland Substation, here is a brief summary of what SLECA is up against. The eye of the storm came within three to five miles east of the Ashland substation causing catastrophic damage. The high winds that came through the area twisted and misaligned the switches and equipment in the station and they are having to realign and adjust all the equipment in the substation to be within spec. If this is not done properly, this will cause further damage to the station.

There were close to one hundred mainline double and triple circuit poles that were down that feed out from and near to the substation. These line poles each carry 2 to 3 circuits. This means double or triple the wires, crossarms, braces, insulators and other material for each pole. Also, this means double and triple the work of framing each new pole with new material. They have had crews and specialized equipment since the beginning of restoration. They said it took several days to even get the material to the site because of the remote location and muddy, swampy conditions at those locations. Most of this work has to be done by hand with no aid of a bucket truck and most poles have to be climbed with material hoisted up to the linemen by rope and pulley. The water in this area is anywhere from ankle deep to neck-deep in some areas. They have had to use track machines and airboats to get a large amount of material to each site. They said each pole takes hours to completely install.
Some have asked why are the substation and its lines in such a hard to reach area. In the early ’80s, when the Ashland Substation was built, the area was sugarcane fields and there were well-defined roads along the feeder lines. The booming industrial property to the north was set to expand further south, but the planned expansion never came. Over the years, the area has changed, and now there is more water and muddy conditions to contend with.
“We are making good and steady progress every day,” their statement said, “but it is a slow, arduous and labor intensive task being performed by men that have been working 16 hour days for the last 22 days – rain or shine. We are looking forward to the forecasted good weather to come and hope this will aid in letting this area dry out as we continue working to restore power.”