Co-Op News
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"Co-op has cheaper Mazama fix" The Okanogan County Electric Cooperative has found a way to reduce the load on the overburdened line that carries power to Mazama, for less money than estimated in previous plans. Currently, electrical service to the Wolf Creek area is carried on the same line that feeds Mazama. A solution proposed last year carried a $270,000 price tag and called for building a new overhead power line along Wolf Creek Road to move that area off the Mazama feeder line. General Manager David Gottula told the co-op board last week that he is proposing another plan that will cut costs to $170,000 and eliminate the need to construct a new overhead line. Gottula, an electrical engineer, said a line will be run underground north along Highway 20 for about one-quarter mile at the north end of town, connecting it to the line serving Wolf Creek. “Because this is a main entrance into town, we decided to put this underground,” Gottula said. The project will also rework a lot of the wiring in Wolf Creek. “We need to add another conductor in order to balance out the loads, Gottula said. “Because this will also reduce losses on the system, we are applying to Bonneville Power Authority for energy conservation funds to help fund this project.” Moving Wolf Creek off the Mazama line means that the voltage on the Mazama circuit should be adequate for five to 10 years, depending on growth in the area, Gottula said. Gottula said he hopes to have the new underground line installed by Memorial Day to avoid working along Highway 20 during the busy tourist season. A study commissioned by the co-op in 2010 to examine a long-term solution to the overloaded Mazama line proposed installing a larger wire on poles extending above the existing line that stretches 13.7 miles from Winthrop to Mazama, and adding additional transformers, for a cost of almost $8 million. Ann McCreary. "Co-op has cheaper Mazama fix." Methow Valley News February 1, 2012 |
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Board Approves New Board District Boundaries The purpose of re-districting was to even out the number of members in each district. The new boundaries have accomplished this, to see which district you are in follow the link below for the map & description. |
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OCEC Rate Design Process November 17th at the Barn in Winthrop new OCEC General Manager David Gottula presented OCEC's plan for our rate design process. Attached below is a copy of the presentation, including the steps to rate design, and a timeline. |
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Bonneville Power Administration Rate Increase to Impact Co-op Members In November of 2010 the Bonneville Power Administration announced a rate increase of about 8.5 percent to its customers for the 2012/2013 fiscal years which begin October 1st of 2011. Continued>>
Judge Retains Control of NW Rivers In a long-anticipated early-August ruling on the 2008/2010 Federal Columbia River Power System Biological Opinion, U.S. District Judge James Redden ruled still not good enough. The BiOp—a plan to protect endangered salmon in the Columbia River Basin—has been tied up in court for more than a decade. Continued>> |
