Construction has been completed on 2 new, upgraded 138kV substations in the Gladstone and Tower Hill areas. The new substations are located adjacent to the existing ones in each area. The new construction will improve reliability for CVEC members, as well as allow CVEC to continue to receive electricity from Appalachian Power’s upgraded 138kV transmission system.
In early 2021, CVEC filed an application with the State Corporation Commission for approval of a project to upgrade its Gladstone and Tower Hill substations, as well as the transmission line connecting the two substations. The driving force behind the timing and necessity of the Gladstone and Tower Hill project was AEP's upgrade of their existing infrastructure to mitigate thermal and voltage issues on their system.
Prior to this project, CVEC’s Gladstone substation received electricity via AEP’s 46kV transmission line. The Tower Hill substation received electricity from the Gladstone substation via a CVEC-owned 46kV transmission line.
CVEC needed to rebuild the Gladstone and Tower Hill substations, as well as its own transmission line connecting the two substations to match AEP’s new 138kV delivery. Without this rebuild, CVEC’s existing 46kV infrastructure, from the delivery point in the Gladstone substation through to the Tower Hill substation, would not have been unable to receive the higher voltage from AEP.
Through months of construction and coordination with AEP, the new Gladstone and Tower Hill substations are completed and ready to be energized. On September 27, AEP will energize their newly constructed 138kV transmission line and CVEC will energize the new Gladstone and Tower Hill substations at 138kV. Removal of CVEC’s old Gladstone and Tower Hill substations will begin in October of this year.
This voltage conversion provides several important benefits to CVEC members, with the most significant being improved power reliability. With the upgraded system, including the new substations and connecting iron-pole transmission line, CVEC is better prepared to handle outages and extreme weather conditions, resulting in reduced disruptions for our members.
The increased voltage also allows electricity to be transmitted over longer distances with less energy loss, leading to improved efficiency and cost savings for the utility and our members.
Additionally, the upgrade significantly increases the system capacity, enabling us to meet the growing energy demands and support the expansion of residential, commercial, and industrial developments.
We appreciate our members and their understanding during these necessary construction projects and look forward to serving the Gladstone and Tower Hill communities with the upgraded facilities.
