Work was one step nearer to completion on the Orcas Power & Light’s Olga Substation with the arrival of a 12-ton transformer last week.

OPALCO’s line crew, substation technician and engineers have been working to upgrade the Olga Substation since December. When completed, the station will be up to current standards and will improve system reliability for Orcas, Decatur and Blakely residents.

In December, OPALCO leased another submarine cable from Bonneville Power Administration to serve Center, Decatur and Blakely Islands as well as the Olga substation.

The circuit breakers have already been upgraded. The second phase, which began on Jan. 1, was to add the new transformer, tie the Olga and Eastsound substations together, redo the ground grid system, and install additional power quality monitoring equipment.

Special “ohmed” rock was installed to meet safety requirements. It holds up to one million ohms of resistance to protect crew members working in the substation. Currently in the testing phase, the new transformer is slated to come online in mid-March.

The upgrade will improve system reliability, allow line crews to reroute power between Eastsound and Olga to reduce outage times, and provide a stable backup system for service to Decatur and Blakely Islands.