Power board recommends UAMPS bonds to fund Central St. George transformer upgrades

The Washington City Power Board voted June 3 to recommend that the City Council approve a resolution authorizing Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) to issue bonds to finance upgrades to the Central St. George transmission project, including new and replacement transformers at several substations.

Board members heard from utility staff that the work responds to higher summer loads and the need for additional transformer capacity to preserve service if a transformer is lost. The board’s recommendation authorizes UAMPS bonding to support a roughly five‑year program of work that staff said would include installing a second transformer at the Green Valley substation, buying two new transformers for the River substation, and moving two existing River transformers to the Skyline substation. The staff presentation said the immediate, equipment‑driven costs for transformer work are about $26 million and that transformer lead times are currently about 2½–3 years, so staff recommended starting procurement now.

Why it matters: Staff said the system needs the added transformer capacity so the utility…