The summertime heat often exerts a significant demand on utility's systems, leading to outages and reliability issues. To better serve its customers, NV Energy has constructed two new substations--Mason Valley and Smith Valley--to serve 4,000 businesses, schools, homes and farms.
“We’ve been working hard to make improvements to our system in this area in time for summer, and we thank the Yerington and Smith Valley communities for their patience,” said Chris Hofmann, NV Energy director of grid operations and reliability on the NV Energy Web site. “These substations will help address the voltage issues experienced in the past, which is important to meet the agricultural needs of these communities.”
Electricians not only built substations, but linemen also constructed a new section of 60 kV transmission line between Mason Valley and Smith Valley. Together with the Smith Valley substation, NV Energy can bring the transmission source of power closer to the Smith Valley/Wellington/Topaz areas. As a result, it can improve the voltage for these customers, according to the company.
This fall, the utility plans to demolish the Anaconda and Bridge Street substations and restore and revegetate the old substation sites.