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Consultants present Claremore electric master plan; council told Substation 6 likely needed by 2030
Summary
Consultants from CEC told the Claremore City Council that the city's electric system shows constrained circuits, phase imbalance and overloaded transformers; recommendations include immediate phase balancing, feeder ties, targeted feeder upgrades and planning a new substation (Substation 6) with a 2030 planning horizon.
Consultants from CEC presented a citywide electric master plan to the Claremore City Council, identifying constrained circuits, phase imbalances, overloaded service transformers and localized voltage‑quality issues. Paul Reese of CEC said the firm modeled the system and forecasted load growth through 2030 to determine where capacity upgrades will be needed.
Justin Blue, a CEC engineer, outlined mitigation steps that city staff can phase in: phase balancing to even loads across phases, adding feeder ties to improve resiliency, upgrading feeder conductors where necessary, installing voltage regulators at critical points, and implementing improved fuse coordination and recloser settings so single faults do not take down whole circuits.
CEC recommended prioritizing added capacity in the southwest—where the largest anticipated growth is projected—while shifting some northeast load to improve voltage quality there. The consultants said many recommended steps can be executed in phases; however, major equipment such as a new substation referred to as 'Substation 6' would require longer procurement lead times (speakers said up to two years for some equipment) and should be treated as a multi‑year, phased capital program aimed at roughly a 2030 horizon.
City staff said they will work with CEC to develop a phased cost and implementation plan and a funding package. Council members pressed on options to utilize existing capacity at other substations and on near‑term projects already in the current budget, including reconductoring work for north/east circuits intended to address low‑voltage areas.
The presentation emphasized benefits beyond reliability: phase balancing and feeder improvements can reduce line losses and make maintenance outages more targeted. CEC provided mapping, an electric model and GIS assets for the city's ongoing planning and offered to support a comprehensive procurement and construction package if council pursues a large, consolidated program in the future.
