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Broken Bow speeds voltage-conversion after Feb. 20 power-plant explosion; about 240 homes affected temporarily
Summary
Electrical Superintendent Blake Waldow told the City of Broken Bow council that a Feb. 20 power-plant explosion left roughly 240 residential and 60 commercial meters without power; a mobile substation failed and a replacement restored service Feb. 21, and the city is accelerating a planned voltage-conversion project to move affected meters off temporary equipment.
Electrical Superintendent Blake Waldow told the Broken Bow City Council on March 11 that a Feb. 20 power-plant explosion triggered a multi-stage outage and prompted the city to accelerate a planned voltage-conversion project.
Waldow said generation engines were online by about 5:30 a.m. on the morning of Feb. 20 after a call from the Southwest Pool, but the town lost power at 6:43 a.m. Most service resumed by about 7:16 a.m., he said, while approximately 240 residential and 60 commercial meters remained offline. The Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) sent a mobile substation that temporarily restored service, but that unit was taken out of service at 11:00 p.m. on Feb. 20 because of a mechanical failure. A replacement unit arrived the next morning and power was restored around 2:00 p.m. on Feb. 21, Waldow said.
Waldow said the city will move up a previously scheduled multi-year voltage-conversion project so meters can be removed from the mobile substation and returned to permanent service. He said crews plan to start on the north side of town and then complete work on the south side — where most businesses are located — and estimated the accelerated timeline at roughly two to four months.
Waldow thanked the City Electrical Department, NPPD, Custer Public Power, the Broken Bow Fire Department, EMS, MEAN, BNSF, city staff, local motels and residents and businesses who donated food and supplies during the outage. He said a map and details about upcoming conversion outages are posted on the City of Broken Bow Facebook page and that the cities of Ord and the Village of Stewart will provide mutual aid for the conversion work.
Mayor Rod Sonnichsen told the council that the meters currently on temporary power are on mobile equipment and that converting them to permanent service as soon as possible is the city's priority. The council did not take additional formal action at the March 11 meeting; Waldow said the city will provide as much advance notice as possible but warned exact timings will be difficult to guarantee during conversion work.
