KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Knoxville Utilities Board unveiled a new electric substation in Northwest Knoxville on Friday. It will be used to help make sure customers do not experience interruptions to power while crews work to maintain other aging infrastructure.
KUB said the new substation is the tenth Tennessee Valley Authority infeed substation on its electric system. It was built as part of its Century II maintenance program, an initiative meant to address aging infrastructure. With the new substation, crews will be able to update older systems without impacting customers and will be able to improve electric reliability across KUB's coverage area.
Also as part of the Century II program, KUB said it replaced 1,135 electricity poles in the 2023 fiscal year. Since 2012, KUB said it replaced around 23,000 poles. In 2023, it also replaced around nine miles of transmission lines.
KUB said that as of the end of the 2023 fiscal year, substation modernization efforts were around 81% complete, including the installation of animal-resistant equipment and longer-lasting technology.
The utility company also improved its natural gas system, replacing older pipes with plastic pipe that has lower maintenance costs and a longer life. Around 3.2 miles of galvanized pipe and 5.2 miles of cast iron or cement pipes were replaced in KUB's water system during the 2023 fiscal year.