Puget Sound Energy Investing Heavily In Electric And Natural Gas System Infrastructure To Meet Customer Needs Now And In Future
Puget Sound Energy (utility subsidiary of Puget Energy) is investing approximately $421M in service-area infrastructure improvements in 2008, of which about $247M is earmarked for capacity and reliability upgrades, and about $174M is allocated to meet growing customer needs.
"It takes a lot of planning and coordination to do this amount of work in a year," said Bert Valdman, executive vice president and chief operating officer for PSE. "We are proud of the work being done by PSE employees and contractors as we make the necessary investments in our electric and natural gas systems to ensure our customers throughout our service area have safe, reliable service now and in the future. We also thank the communities and our customers for their patience and support as we do this work on their behalf."
PSE's 2008 electric system investments include:
- Building four miles of new 230 kilovolt (kV) transmission line and five miles of new 115 kV transmission line.
- Re-conductoring (replacing old power lines with new power lines) 54 miles of PSE's transmission system.
- Replacing or remediating (injecting with silicone to extend the life of cable) approximately 70 miles of underground cable.
- Replacing 800 poles.
- Constructing six new distribution substations – two in Whatcom County and one each in Island, King, Jefferson, and Thurston counties.
- Upgrading seven distribution substations and six transmission systems in Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, King, Kitsap, and Thurston counties.
PSE's 2008 natural gas system investments include:
- Installing approximately 200 miles of new natural gas main, including replacing approximately 20 miles of older, uncoated steel main.
- Annually leak-surveying 12,000 miles of pipeline.
- Annually performing maintenance activities on 77 district regulators (a natural gas pressure-reducing station that automatically regulates the pressure in the downstream main to which it is connected).
- Rebuilding two gate stations (a facility that serves as a measuring point for purchasing natural gas from a pipeline supplier and where the natural gas is odorized).
About Puget Sound Energy
Washington state's oldest and largest energy utility, with a 6,000-square-mile service territory stretching across 11 counties, Puget Sound Energy serves more than 1 million electric customers and 737,000 natural gas customers primarily in the growing Puget Sound region of Western Washington. PSE, a subsidiary of Puget Energy, meets the energy needs of its growing customer base through incremental, cost-effective energy conservation, low-cost procurement of sustainable energy resources, and far-sighted investment in the energy-delivery infrastructure. PSE employees are dedicated to providing great customer service to deliver energy that is safe, reliable, reasonably priced, and environmentally responsible.
SOURCE: Puget Sound Energy