CenterPoint Energy is beginning work in Oak Ridge North that will lay the groundwork for conversion of the City’s 12KV lines to a 35KV, fully looped system. This conversion, with preliminary work beginning in August 2014, will address problems with an aging system and provide a more reliable system for today’s community. Residents and businesses in CenterPoint’s service area (south of Robinson Road) need to be aware that this construction work will impact the poles and lines on their property.
Beginning in August, CenterPoint will be in Oak Ridge North trimming trees to accommodate this upgrade. This process is likely to be extensive and impact each property in CenterPoint’s easement at some time during this phase of the project. The first construction phase will connect the lines in Oak Ridge North to CenterPoint’s system on the west side of the I-45 corridor. The west side tie-in is already constructed and ready for connection to Oak Ridge North. This aerial connection over I-45 will be located near the southern city limits on the northbound I-45 feeder at Spring Pines. CenterPoint will then replace all of its north bound line segment behind the businesses on I-45 to Robinson Road, and replace the east/west line segment behind the residences on Robinson Road to Maplewood. This power line upgrade, in 2014, will be a conversion of small wire to a larger wire, and will include replacement of all poles. Like the tree trimming, the replacement of poles and wires will impact all CenterPoint customers in Oak Ridge North at some point during the project. The first phase, tree trimming, line upgrade, pole replacement, and aerial connection over I-45, is expected to last from August 2014 to Spring 2015.
The second phase of the project, slated for spring 2015, is the upgrade to 35KV. This phase includes energizing the new lines with 35KV and creating four new tie-ins to other parts of the CenterPoint system. This will provide additional “loops” to the Oak Ridge North system from adjacent CenterPoint service areas and remove the dead end status that Oak Ridge North has experienced for several years. That means outages can be resolved more efficiently by isolating trouble areas without taking out the entire CenterPoint system in Oak Ridge North. These additional loops will also provide CenterPoint with the ability to resolve power issues remotely without the need of a repair unit on site, enhancing response time to issues such as power outages.
The conversion project has long been sought after by the City, but will come with inconveniences to CenterPoint customers as CenterPoint improves its service to our community. The City will work closely with CenterPoint to keep you informed of progress on the upgrade to the system.
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