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Waverly Utilities starts 50-year transmission rebuild; supply chain delays keep one wind turbine offline
Summary
Staff began a long-planned transmission rebuild and reported supply-chain delays on wind turbine blade motors with 16–20 week lead times; broadband work continued and the utility reported a Windstream outage and a video-content price increase from ESPN/Disney.
Waverly Utilities staff reported operational updates to the Board of Trustees, including the start of a major transmission-line rebuild, a wind-turbine outage tied to long lead times for replacement motors, and ongoing broadband work.
Kurt (staff member) said crews began rebuilding a 50-year-old transmission line between the Westload and Southload centers; the project will replace poles, overhead infrastructure and wires, and staff expect to complete primary contractor work by November. "That transmission line is 50 years old. Life expectancy at 35. So we've made it a priority to get that transmission line rebuilt," Kurt said.
Generation staff reported progress on midyear maintenance and engine modernization. On Waverly's EWT wind turbines, staff said three rotary pitch blade motors had failed and replacement units have a 16–20 week lead time. To return one turbine to service, crews took motors from a second turbine where possible; one turbine remains offline until parts arrive.
Kurt said staff had not observed additional damage from turbines being idle but noted the parts are foreign-made and supply-chain constraints limited repair options. The board and staff discussed vendor performance and local contractor support; staff said the vendor’s repair team is now on the continent and a Wisconsin-based team has been working on site.
On broadband and telecom, Jeff (staff member) said fiber cutovers and installations have increased in rural areas as buried mainline and drops are completed. He reported an intermittent outage with the wholesale internet provider Windstream and said the utility is seeking a rebate or refund for the disruption. The communications group also deployed a software update to roughly 3,000 video set-top boxes.
Staff reported they renewed the ESPN and Disney agreement, and that the multi-year cost increase for those channels will be roughly 40 percent over four-plus years. Board members discussed customer impacts and the need to communicate programming and price changes to subscribers.
No formal action was taken on these informational items; staff said they would continue project work and provide updates on turbine repairs and the transmission project.
