Four AEP bucket trucks are pictured installing a temporary substation at Shank Avenue in Hurricane on Monday, February 17th.
When a planned detonation at the DSI Landfill at 3:53 p.m. on Sycamore Ridge knocked out a 138 kV transmission tower and lines, both AEP and 1,900 customers knew what happened.
After assessing the damage, AEP informed the City of Hurricane that the company would be constructing a temporary substation on its property on Shank Avenue to supply power while repairs were made to the tower and lines.
Fortunately, customers in Hurricane and Culloden did not have to wait for the substation construction. An engineer in Virginia determined that new lines, switches, and transformers at the site of the closed Food Fair in Culloden would allow power to be restored more quickly. AEP had power restored to 1,500 customers by 11 a.m. Saturday and to all by 5 p.m.
AEP spokesperson Debra Pannell said that the temporary substation will be needed to meet elevated load demands. Pannell reported that some customers experienced a brief outage on Monday because of increased load demand.
The Shank Avenue substation will be removed after the 138 kV tower is repaired and returned to service.
A timeline of events follows:
9:45 p.m., Friday: AEP reported that 1,900 customers in the Hurricane/Culloden area were without electric service because a customer working near the company’s facilities hit a 138 kilovolts (kV) transmission tower, bringing the tower and line down. The outage occurred at 3:53 p.m.
9:07 a.m., Saturday: The Breeze sent an email to AEP asking what the customer used to hit the tower, where the tower was located, and if photos of the fallen tower were available.
11:02 a.m., Saturday: AEP responded to the Breeze email stating “(W)e are unable to provide any further information regarding the damaged transmission tower. Our crews worked through the night and restored power to roughly 1,500 customers impacted by the outage.”
5:00 p.m., Saturday: A check of AEP’s outage map (https://d2oclp3li76tyy.cloudfront.net/external/default.html) revealed that power had been restored to all in the Hurricane/Culloden area.
2:08 p.m., Sunday: Hurricane Mayor Scott Edwards posted on Facebook, “In relation to the 138kV tower and transmission line that were recently taken out by a customer causing widespread outages in Hurricane, AEP continues to make repairs. They are actively working at the site of the damage as well as will be installing a temporary substation in Hurricane (will be located off Lynn Street/Shank Ave beside interstate) to supply power during the repairs.”
2:45 p.m., Monday: Time of DSI Landfill photo
3:15 p.m., Monday: Time of Shank Avenue photo
4:50 p.m., Monday: Hurricane Mayor Scott Edwards posted a statement from Waste Management DSI Landfill: “On Friday February 14, a third-party contractor was performing a controlled detonation as part of our normal excavation operations at the DSI landfill property. This type of work is routine, and all safety protocols were followed. Unfortunately, Friday’s operation unintentionally impacted nearby power transmission lines. The appropriate parties were immediately notified, and we thank AEP for taking swift actions to minimize the impact as much as possible. Crews worked tirelessly over the weekend and continue to work to restore power to impacted customers and make permanent repairs to the damaged power lines. Any questions about the power restoration work itself should be directed to AEP.”
