New transformer transported on Orcas Island by truck

This summer, OPALCO replaced a transformer installed in 1970 . The new transformer includes more capacity for the expected growth in electricity use in the coming decades. This equipment takes high-voltage electricity and steps it down to a smaller voltage to deliver electricity to homes and businesses on Orcas.

The Orcas Power & Light Cooperative team spent about six months planning and designing the replacement of this critical infrastructure. Coordinating a complex project like this requires logistical work.

The work included securing a barge, a crane, a trucking company and a right-of-way permit through the county before the Orcas line crew and several OPALCO engineers could make the switch. The delivery had to be timed with the tides so the barge could deliver on North Beach.

Installation of new transformer on Orcas Island.