CoServ’s electric system never stops growing
Rapid residential and commercial growth kept CoServ busy this spring as crews built new circuits, upgraded power lines and added redundancy to existing feeders in preparation for the summer heat.
CoServ has built a reputation as one of the most reliable electric utilities in Texas and the country while also ranking as one of the fastest-growing co-ops, adding 16,000 meters in 2020 and 2021. The growth has continued this year with nearly 4,000 electric meters added in the first quarter of 2022.
New meters put more demand on the system. So, CoServ is constantly planning ahead for system upgrades and improvements to help maintain its stellar reliability. For 2021, CoServ achieved a SAIDI score of 34.39, which means the average Member was without power for about 34 minutes, excluding major storms and power supply disruptions.
CoServ purposely schedules system upgrades in the spring and fall when the weather is mild because there’s less demand for electricity. That makes it easier to backfeed, or reroute electricity, to minimize disruptions for Members.
“CoServ continues to experience a large amount of growth in our system. This increased load demand requires us to make system improvements that allow us to continue to serve our Members at a high level,” said Shea Hassell, Vice President of Field Operations. “Added capacity in our substations in Flower Mound and Aubrey this past spring are good examples of those types of improvements.”
Power up in Flower Mound
At U.S. 377 in Flower Mound, CoServ crews relocated utility poles – and replaced some wood poles with concrete ones – upgraded the wires to higher capacity and added a new circuit coming out of the Cross Timbers substation to feed future growth in the area. The massive upgrade was prompted by the Texas Department of Transportation’s plan to widen U.S. 377 but also provided a chance for CoServ to get ahead of the construction that’s coming.
“Members in Argyle, Flower Mound and surrounding communities will continue to enjoy CoServ’s reliable service,” said CoServ Lineman Crew Supervisor Aubrey Turner.
High voltage in Aubrey
The Aubrey and Denton area is also growing fast, which necessitated some major upgrades inside the Aubrey substation. Electricity comes into substations on high voltage transmission lines and it’s the transformer's job to reduce the voltage before the electricity goes onto CoServ’s distribution system, which delivers it to homes and businesses.
The Aubrey substation had three 20-megawatt transformers, which limited the capacity coming out of the substation.
In late February and early March, CoServ’s power provider replaced two of the old transformers in the substation with larger 50-megawatt units, doubling the total capacity of the substation to 120 megawatts.
With the project completed, the Aubrey substation can deliver more electricity at a faster rate to keep the air conditioner at your home running.
These are just some of the ways that CoServ is constantly working on behalf of its Members and future Members to ensure safe and reliable electricity is always available when they need it most.