CoServ’s upgrades demonstrate commitment to Investing in Tomorrow

Investing in tomorrow isn’t just CoServ’s motto, every department lives by those words as we invest in technology and new equipment to increase reliability, safety and efficiency for our Operations crews.

This year, CoServ started installing Intelliruptors at key places on our distribution infrastructure. This smart grid devices can be controlled remotely by system operators and can do some tasks automatically, keeping linemen safe while restoring power faster.

Before CoServ linemen can work on a power line, the line needs to be placed on what the industry calls “hot line tag.” Under normal conditions, if a line trips or there’s contact, the power will go off but will come back within seconds. That’s why the lights sometimes flicker or blink before coming back on. However, this normal operation would be dangerous for anyone working near the line.

When a line is on hot line tag, the line shuts off quickly and will not automatically come back on. It’s a safety feature to minimize injury if a worker accidentally touches the lines and is electrocuted.

With the intelliruptors, CoServ system operators can place lines on hot line tag remotely rather than having someone in the field do it. In some places, it could take 20 to 30 minutes to physically reach the area where a line could be placed on hot line tag.

It also allows small sections of line to be isolated when there’s an outage.

“We’re deploying this equipment on our overhead lines that isolates the system so there’s the smallest disturbance to our Members as possible,” said Tommy Nylec, CoServ’s Director of Engineering.

CoServ consistently ranks among the most reliable utilities in Texas and posted a SAIDI (System Average Interruption Duration Index) score of 31.2 in 2022. That means the average Member was without power for about 30 minutes. Put another way, Members had reliable electricity 99.994 percent of the time!

CoServ strives to make improvements, especially as our system adds thousands of meters each year, and every piece of smart grid technology added to the system is another small step toward increasing reliability, Tommy said.

In Lewisville, Lineman Supervisors Andrew Pierce and Cramer Basham needed to dig a deep hole for a new 80-foot concrete pole. That one pole will take the place of three existing wood poles near a railroad crossing off Garden Ridge Boulevard.

The concrete pole can handle more tension, which means the power lines crossing over the railroad track can be held tighter with less slack.

The hole needs to be 18 feet deep by four feet wide. Previously, they would hire a contractor or install a large bit on CoServ’s existing boom tip truck, which puts extra wear and tear on the motor.

In May, CoServ purchased a new Watson Model 1100 hydraulic digging truck that can easily dig that hole and is capable of digging twice that depth. Now, CoServ can do these jobs faster without needing a contractor or putting extra strain on equipment.

“You have to have the right tool for the job and that’s exactly what we have now,” Andrew said. “That’s the sole purpose of this machine. It’s a beast in the rock when digging through rock because of the teeth on the auger. It’s a very nice piece of machinery that we needed badly.”

Once the pole was set, CoServ linemen installed cross arms and hung new power lines over the railroad track, connecting to an existing concrete pole on the other side.

Like the smart grid technology, this digging truck will increase efficiency and reduce costs as CoServ upgrades its infrastructure.

Investments like these that we make today will pay dividends in the future in the form of reliable, safe and affordable electricity.