FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Mar 13 2015 12:00:00:000AM
News Media Contact: Joseph Barrios, (520) 884-3725, jbarrios@tep.com

TEP Upgrading Three Transmission Lines to Ensure Continued Service Reliability

Tucson, Ariz. — Tucson Electric Power (TEP) is upgrading three transmission lines to ensure continued service reliability for customers.

Field crews are installing higher-capacity wires, new metal poles and additional substation equipment to reduce the frequency and duration of electrical service outages and to help satisfy customers’ future energy needs.

Crews have completed about half of an approximately 14.5-mile upgrade to the existing 138-kilovolt (kV) transmission line linking the North Loop Substation, located near Interstate 10 and Twin Peaks Road, and the DeMoss-Petrie (DMP) Substation, located near Interstate 10 and West Grant Road. Work is nearly complete on a related upgrade to a 3.6-mile line that connects the West Ina Substation, near Interstate 10 and West Ina Road, and the El Camino Del Cerro Substation, near West El Camino Del Cerro and North Silverbell Road.

Construction is visible along segments of Interstate 10 and will continue for several more weeks. More than 18 overhead structures, including large steel poles and “H-frame” supports, will be installed. The approximately $10.5 million project is expected to be completed in May.

Work also continues on an approximately 6-mile upgrade of the 138 kV line that links the DMP Substation to the Northeast Substation, located near North Alvernon Way and North Dodge Boulevard. Crews are installing more than 40 steel poles, more than 20 overhead transformers and higher-capacity wires along the route. Pole installation is currently taking place along East Fort Lowell Road, where some traffic controls may be required. The approximately $3.5 million project is expected to be completed in May.

The work on all three projects is being performed by TEP field crews with assistance from Atkinson Construction and Klondyke Construction. Upgrades to adjacent transmission lines are scheduled to occur later this year. Improvement projects like these help to prevent power outages and allow TEP to restore service more quickly when outages occur. The upgraded lines will be in service before the summer, when the demand for power is high and powerful thunderstorms can damage equipment.

TEP maintains a robust electrical system that includes approximately 2,400 miles of transmission lines, 2,600 miles of overhead distribution lines and more than 4,300 cable-miles of underground distribution lines. TEP performs system improvements and maintenance projects throughout the year to continue providing safe, reliable service to approximately 414,000 customers in southern Arizona. For more information, visit tep.com.