PORT ANGELES — A city power transformer near Civic Field is fully operational after the theft of the unit’s copper grounding wire delayed its start-up by about three months.
The new transformer, which reduces the voltage of electricity for use in the city, replaced one that had been struck by lightning and knocked out last July, said Jim Klarr, city light operations manager.
Final tests of the transformer at the city’s Washington Street substation, near the intersection with Second Street, were completed and the unit energized last week, Klarr said.
The substation represents about 14 percent of the city’s power capacity, Klarr estimated.
The lightning strike briefly knocked out power to about 900 city residents when it hit the transformer.
“We’re proud to bring that substation back online,” said Maher Abed, the city’s deputy director of operations for public works and utilities.
“Especially before the winter [season], when we experience our peak demand for power.”
The transformer had been fully installed and operating for a week in June, Klarr said.
Then unidentified copper thieves cut through the substation’s chain link fences and stole the facility’s grounding wire, one of various safety measures installed at all substations.
The transformer was shut down, with other substations picking up the load, so new grounding wire and a security camera system could be installed, Klarr said.
Brian Smith, deputy Port Angeles police chief, said Friday police have no new information into the theft.
The 97,900-pound transformer can handle 20 megawatts of electricity, Klarr said, and was custom-built by a company based in Roanoke, Va.
Klarr estimated the total cost of the transformer, with purchase price and man-hours included, at about $900,000.
The cost was covered by the city’s insurance, Klarr added, minus a $25,000 deductible.
Klarr said the deductible was partially offset by the $18,750 for which the city sold the old transformer to Utility Transformer Brokers, based in Utah.
Crews from the Virginia-based company that built the transformer helped somewhat with its initial installation, though city utility workers did most of the work.
“The bulk of the work was done primarily by light [operations] personnel,” Klarr said.
Klarr specifically pointed out city operations staff Tod Eisele, Lisa Hainstock and Bob Williams for their roles in the installation and testing process.
“Had they not been here with the expertise, it would have cost the city a lot more — thousands,” Klarr said.
“The whole thing would not have happened if it hadn’t been for their efforts.”
The city never needed to use a backup transformer made available by the Clallam County Public Utility District, Klarr added.
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Reporter Jeremy Schwartz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jschwartz@peninsuladailynews.com.