Entergy Texas, Inc. recently completed a substation that is part of a US$ 43.5 million investment in the Huntsville distribution network, improving the reliability and resiliency of the local grid. Located off Veterans Memorial Parkway, the new Veteran Substation supports the current and future load growth from residential, commercial and industrial customers in the area.
“We’re proactively investing in our infrastructure to keep power flowing to homes and businesses and deliver reliable service,” said Todd Gallagher, senior manager of transmission grid for Entergy Texas. “The new Veteran Substation is another example of our commitment to our customers. This substation will strengthen the system and meet the demands of our growing Huntsville community.”
Crews have been working since July of 2021 to construct the new substation located roughly three miles from downtown Huntsville. The new facility includes two large power transformers that allow energy to be brought in via high voltage lines from area generators and deliver it through eight new distribution feeders into various points in the Huntsville area. Work is ongoing to construct these new feeders, and the company plans to have them completed by the end of the year. With an additional 230 kV transmission source added to the distribution system, the Veteran Substation will help provide reliable power and support economic growth by increasing capacity and reducing the stress on the existing Goree Substation.
Maintaining and improving the electric system is an ongoing process. Entergy Texas’ reliability experts routinely inspect and evaluate components of our system and use data, including local economic growth, to make strategic decisions around the building, enhancing or replacing of equipment.
The Veteran Substation is just one of the many reliability projects and upgrades going on across the Entergy Texas service area. The company plans to invest more than US$ 2.4 billion over the next three years to create a more reliable and resilient system. Last year, Entergy Texas filed a request for approval of the Orange County Advanced Power Station, a 1215 MW, dual-fuel combined cycle power facility. The addition of this facility will provide a new source of reliable, low-cost and clean energy for customers now and in the future. The company has also entered into a 20-year power purchase agreement to begin in 2023 for the 150 MW Umbriel Solar resource located in Polk County and made selections from its 2021 request for proposals for at least 400 MW of solar resources to provide additional clean energy to meet customer needs by 2025.
