Flathead Electric Begins Major Grid Upgrades Across Northwest Montana
Flathead Electric Cooperative is undertaking a series of infrastructure projects across Northwest Montana aimed at improving grid reliability, increasing capacity and supporting continued population and energy demand growth.
The projects include substation upgrades, transformer replacements, underground feeder installations and overhead power line reconductoring in Whitefish, Bigfork, Lakeside, Hungry Horse, Kalispell and the Swan area.
According to the cooperative, work at the Bigfork Substation will double its capacity, while transmission upgrades in the Whitefish area will increase portions of the system from 34.5 kilovolts to 69 kilovolts, allowing electricity to be delivered more efficiently and providing additional capacity for future demand.
Additional underground line projects are planned in Lakeside and Kalispell, while overhead reconductoring is underway between Hungry Horse and West Glacier and is also planned for the Swan area.
Jason Williams, CEO and General Manager of Flathead Electric Cooperative, said, “These projects take a tremendous amount of planning, coordination and skilled field work. They may not always be visible to members, but they are essential to keeping the system safe, reliable and ready to meet the needs of our growing communities.”
The cooperative said its electric system includes more than 5,000 miles of power lines and 31 substations. While some projects may require temporary planned outages or minor traffic impacts, the upgrades are intended to improve long-term system reliability and accommodate future growth.
