by Liberty Best
lbest@cherryroad.com
Moon Lake Electric (MLEA) broke ground on Sept. 11, for their new substation that will help serve the Roosevelt and Neola area, improving the service that is provided.
In 1940 the MLEA load was 303,282 kWh sales, in 2024 1,081,959 mWh sales.
Jared Griffith, MLEA engineering manager said the new substation will increase the capacity and help prevent future outages.
“The summer before last there were a lot of outages. When this is built, we won’t have as many,” Griffith said.
Griffith said MLEA will be having planned outages in the near future to enable staff to start repairing the existing line.
The timeline for the substation is next fall and in the meantime, MLEA will be “scraping the bottom of the barrel” to serve the community, according to Griffith.
The new lines will stretch 33 miles on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land, which required permitting and environmental studies to be conducted to ensure the safety of wildlife and their habitats.
There will be a total of 51 miles of line estimated to cost $25 million bringing an additional 100 mw to members, according to Yankton Johnson, CEO.
“On Nov. 1, 1938, nearly 86 years ago, MLEA took out a $74,000 REA loan, worth $1.6 million in today’s market with inflation,” Johnson said. “One year later the first 51 mile line was energized.”
This project has taken a long time to get underway, roughly 12 years in the making, the transformers that will be used have been on a three year waiting list. Though the wait will benefit the communities in Roosevelt and Neola, as there will be three transmission lines added.
According to Griffith, there has been a long road of permitting and funding and minimizing the impact on members.
Josh Bake, Roosevelt City manager, said he is excited for the project.
“We are so excited for all the dedication that’s changing things not just for now but for generations,” Bake said.
Bake said the city of Roosevelt is extremely grateful for everyone that has played a part in this getting underway and set in motion to make this a reality and he looks forward to when it is completed.
