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West Florida Electric Cooperative (WFEC) members traveling along Highway 181 and Highway 81 in Holmes County may have spotted WFEC line crews working along the roadside. Those crews were completing system improvements and upgrading voltage in the area - a project designed to enhance electric service and reliability for members.

As part of the project, WFEC upgraded the voltage along that section of line from 7,200 volts to 14,400 volts. This voltage increase allows the cooperative to serve the area more efficiently and strengthens the system to better meet current and future electric needs. 115221001

The upgrade required extensive planning and coordination among crews from all WFEC’s districts. During the scheduled outage, linemen worked to perform the voltage cutover by switching transformers from the previous voltage level to the new one. In all, crews physically changed settings on 276 transformers in the area to complete the conversion.

The project also involved close collaboration between WFEC personnel, and PowerSouth Energy Cooperative. While WFEC and one of our contractors, Southern States, performed the field cutover work, WFEC metering, substation and line personnel worked alongside PowerSouth crews inside the Westville Substation, which is being upgraded to operate at 25 kV.

During the outage, they replaced lightning arresters on each circuit to prepare the substation for the voltage upgrade. They also installed a bypass breaker and replaced a damaged switch insulator. PowerSouth crews removed the static lines above the substation to allow a crane to be positioned for upcoming work to replace the substation transformer and voltage regulators.

In addition, temporary circuits were constructed from the low-side bus of a mobile substation. This work will allow the mobile sub to be utilized while voltage upgrades are completed inside the Westville substation as it transitions to its new 25 kV service.

“We appreciate our members’ patience during this outage as we work on system improvements to improve their electric service and reliability,” said Tracey Crutchfield, Manager of Operations and Construction in the Graceville Office. “We strive to continuously improve our system from right-of-ways to construction.”