Consultants Recommend New US‑50 Substation and Circuit Upgrades to Handle Lawrenceburg’s Projected Load Growth

Consultants with the Indiana Municipal Power Agency service corps told Lawrenceburg’s utility work session on April 27 that the city’s electric system needs a new distribution substation near the U.S. 50/Indiana 48 corridor and conductor upgrades on Aurora Road and the North Circuit to handle planned and projected load growth.

"The peak load of your guys' system is 26.8 megawatts today, as of June 25," said Philopresto, an engineering consultant with the Indiana Municipal Power Agency service corps, during a 58‑page load growth presentation. He said the consultants modeled multiple growth scenarios (including 0.3%, 2.1% and 3.1% cases) and included known near‑term projects such as apartment complexes, warehouses and a planned industrial expansion by Precision Concepts in all of the study’s scenarios.

Why it matters: the study’s outputs show several circuits and transformers approaching or exceeding conservative thresholds. In one scenario the Express circuit was modeled at about 102% of capacity and a Ludlow Hills transformer at roughly 95%, meaning there would be little spare capacity if another circuit failed. Consultants warned that without upgrades customers—especially large industrial users—could face outages and voltage problems.

What was recommended: Philopresto summarized the team’s top priorities as (1) building a new substation in the US‑50/IN‑48 area to split and relieve load between Walker and Ludlow Hills substations, (2) reconductoring Aurora Road to 556 ACSR to correct voltage drop and add transfer capacity, and (3) reconductoring the North Circuit to address long‑distance voltage issues. The team also advised verifying the underground hospital feeder conductor (modeled in some analyses as 1/0 but believed to be 4/0) and upgrading it only if the model shows it is undersized.

Timing and cost: consultants said transformers and major breakers typically carry roughly one‑year lead times. To have a new substation built and online by 2028, Philopresto said the city would need to bid and order major equipment this year. He offered a benchmark: a recent single‑transformer substation in Jasper cost about $4,000,000. For Lawrenceburg, the team estimated a two‑transformer substation in the $5–8 million range, noting transformer size is the largest cost driver. As an alternative to immediate substation construction, the consultants said upgrading the two Walker Street transformers to larger (≈20 MVA) units and carrying out reconductoring work could postpone a new substation for 7–10 years at an estimated $3–5 million.

Precision Concepts’ role: the consultants included Precision Concepts’ planned six‑transformer expansion in every scenario and described that customer as a major driver of near‑term peak load. Philopresto said the utility should negotiate cost‑sharing or contribution with Precision Concepts if the city provides a dedicated feed from a new substation.

Operational risk and redundancy: the study showed Aurora Road and the North Circuit were near or above 50% loading in several scenarios; once a circuit exceeds that 50% benchmark, consultants said it becomes difficult to transfer load to another circuit without reconductoring. Philopresto emphasized that Riverside Substation, while underused, is geographically poorly suited to provide immediate backup for downtown circuits because of limited tie points.

Next steps and process: because the meeting lacked a quorum the board treated the session as informational; no formal votes were taken. Philopresto offered to provide follow‑up assistance, and board members said staff should pursue further discussions with Precision Concepts about cost responsibilities and begin procurement planning if the board decides to advance the recommended projects.

The session ended with a motion to adjourn and vocal assent; there were no binding votes on the study recommendations at this meeting.