Beaver City leaders agree substation planning must follow water and plant projects

Beaver City staff and council members said a new electrical substation is the city's next major infrastructure priority after completing Plant No. 2 and the mountain waterline project.

Council and utility leaders said the move matters because current substations cannot absorb the city's load during a failure and new growth'both residential and industrial'will increase demand. "If we have trouble with one substation, we got too much load to put on another one," said Dave, the city's power superintendent, during the workshop. "We can't shut one down, not without having major, major outages of town."

The council discussed sequencing work. Officials said Plant No. 2 is expected to be complete soon and noted a $4,000,000 waterline project down the mountain also is on the schedule; after those projects, officials identified the substation as the next priority. "To stay on schedule ... the next priority following Plant 2 in the water line will be the substation," one council member summarized toward the meeting's close.

Where to site the new substation was the main technical question. Participants raised several candidate areas: the recently acquired 60-acre parcel on the northeast side, locations west of Interstate 15 tied to Rocky Mountain Power infrastructure, a gravel pit site, and a fenced parcel the city already owns. Staff and council described trade-offs including distance from Rocky Mountain Power lines (longer taps require larger, more expensive conductors), the high cost of underground lines, and the need to maintain multiple feed circuits for operational flexibility.

Council members and staff discussed phased or multiple substations: a smaller interim unit on the south end to relieve industrial and south-end load, and a larger future substation elsewhere. "If you can take the industrial park south end off, it opens up two circuits, and now you have the ability to switch back and forth," a council member said. Staff noted a small substation can fit on less than half an acre or even around 1 acre and that the city has two parcels near existing high-voltage lines that could be options.

Technical needs discussed included additional 46-kV alignment ties between substations, a new metering structure to replace an older 18-meter arrangement, and the high cost of undergrounding. The city has already hired Eaton to help with substation design and previously commissioned Eaton for an initial study. Participants also raised permitting issues if the city needs federal land approvals: "We need to start approaching BLM if we're going south and or north, and identify that parcel that we can say, 'hey, we're going to need NEPA clearance,'" a council member said.

Council members weighed timing and interim solutions. Several urged beginning paperwork and cost analyses immediately so land acquisition, NEPA review and design work can proceed. "If it takes us five years to get clearance to do that, we need to start tomorrow," one member said. Staff agreed to begin cost analyses, site evaluations and coordination with Rocky Mountain Power and consultants.

The discussion also referenced expected large local loads coming online, including a planned Rivian development and other industry on the south end, and the presence of a 3,000-amp service at a nearby industrial site. Council members emphasized keeping power reliability as the top priority while coordinating water, sewer and road investments that will accompany growth.

Council direction from the workshop: proceed with substation siting studies and cost analyses, continue Eaton's design work, open discussions with landholders and utility partners, and prepare the paperwork to start permitting and NEPA as appropriate. "We need to start. Dave, thank you," a council member concluded after the discussion.