Georgia Power invested $80 million to upgrade downtown Savannah’s power grid.
Now the utility is poised to spend another $50 million to improve the power network across Chatham County.
Georgia Power will host a pair of informational meetings today addressing what it has labeled its West Chatham 230 kilovolt project. The initiative involves the installation of two bulk transmission lines that will bring power to a new substation being built near the Interstate 516-Southwest Bypass interchange.
The project will create an additional source for bulk power into the Savannah area.
“This is one indication of our commitment to keeping the lights on,” said Matt Gignilliat, Georgia Power’s project manager. “And it should be accomplished with minimal inconvenience to the community.”
Most of the project will involve converting existing transmission lines to bulk lines. That work will begin this fall.
Georgia Power will add 2.5 miles of new lines, mostly in Port Wentworth and in the industrial area near the Ga. 21-Dean Forest Road intersection. The utility is acquiring property easements for the new poles and lines in those areas.
The improvements should be completed by the spring of 2015.
Bulk power currently is delivered to Savannah via high-capacity lines terminating in southwest Chatham County and at Georgia Power’s Plant Kraft generating facility in Port Wentworth.
Plant Kraft is scheduled to be retired by 2016, making bulk transmission upgrades to the local grid more vital.
The West Chatham 230 kilovolt project is the latest Georgia Power upgrade locally. The utility completed a seven-year improvement downtown in February, replacing 112 miles of cable, installing 79 new power transformers and building 12 additional transformer blocks.
Georgia Power also replaced and improved many of its transmission poles in the islands area in recent years and is currently doing the same on Savannah’s southside.
Georgia Power drew praise from the business sector for its continuing commitment to improving its network. The Savannah Economic Development Authority’s leader, Trip Tollison, noted the “hundreds of millions” in investment Georgia Power has made locally since merging with Savannah Electric in 2006.
“That helps us immensely, because the first question a company looking to move to Savannah asks is ‘What’s the power situation?’” Tollison said. “The type of infrastructure Georgia Power has built and is building here means Savannah can play ball with anybody.”
IF YOU GO
What: Georgia Power’s West Chatham 230 kV projecti nformation meetings
When: 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. today
Where: Wingate by Wyndham Savannah Airport
