Power trip

Oversize loads cause rolling outages in county

Crystal R. Albers
Posted 12/19/18

Since September, a series of oversize loads traveling from Canada to Colorado have resulted in rolling power outages in Goshen County.

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Power trip

Oversize loads cause rolling outages in county

Posted

GOSHEN COUNTY – Since September, a series of oversize loads traveling from Canada to Colorado have resulted in rolling power outages in Goshen County. Last week, local electric utility company Wyrulec escorted the third of four planned loads from Anadarko Petroleum through the area.

“We work with two different transport companies, that are each hauling two loads, so each time there are four loads traveling together,” Wyrulec Executive Assistant Kellie Brown explained. “They are hauling compressor buildings that go to oil sites.

“The loads are about 27-feet tall, which is why they’re so problematic,” she continued. “Our Operations Manager, Joe Kinnan, has been here for 40 years, and he said they’re the tallest loads we’ve ever had come through.”

The transport companies must follow a Wyoming Department of Transportation-approved route, one that heads south through Lingle, west on U.S. Highway 26/85 until it reaches Road 41 – or the Rock Shop – and turns south on WY-156; and follows U.S. 85 and WY-154 through Veteran and Hawk Springs.

The route circumvents Highway 85 heading south between Torrington and Silvertip, due to a low railroad crossing.

“The trailers are so big that, as they turn at the Rock Shop, they have to stop traffic both ways,” Brown said. “(Our crews) disconnect the power long enough for them to get under the (power) lines along the route.”

It takes two days and nearly all of Wyrulec’s operations crew working to move the load through the area as quickly as possible, with one group working ahead to shut the power off and raise the lines, while another reconnects as the transport company travels through the county – hence the term “rolling outage”.

“Power outages vary, but most of the time it’s only for a couple hours. We try to give our members at least 48 hours’ notice before they experience an outage.”

“When it’s warm out, the lines can be raised a lot easier. When it’s cold, they’re more difficult to raise,” Brown added. “Some disconnects are on a main feeder, so people might be affected that aren’t directly on the route. And not all lines have to be disconnected as they pass through, some are high enough they can be raised without being disconnected. It depends on the height at which they were built.”

The transport companies must be escorted by each rural co-op as they move through their respective territories (Wyrulec’s territory goes as far south as Meridan). In addition, municipalities handle the loads’ path through their towns.

Wyrulec will not allow the loads to move through during the first week of the month – when they have several crewmembers out reading meters, nor during peak irrigation times.

“They initially wanted to come through in July, and our General Manager Ryan Schilreff wouldn’t allow them to come through (during peak irrigation time),” Brown said. “Goshen County is one of the main producers of irrigated crops in the state.”

“Our irrigators have too many services running at that time, and it would be very problematic for them,” Schilreff said.

As a show of support – and in anticipation of future trips – Anadarko has provided Wyrulec with funds to permanently raise the lines through the route in Goshen County.

“There are a total of about 100 lines we have to raise – the majority are on Highway 154 where the most irrigation is,” Schilreff said. “The guys are just about done raising the lines on Highway 156 – within the next couple of weeks. Once complete, this will eliminate the need for our crews to raise any lines up to 27 feet. This is a real benefit for both Anadarko and us.”

The next oversize load is expected in January 2019.