Sierra Pacific Power Company
Contact: Karl Walquist
Phone: (775) 834-3891

For Immediate Release

Carson City residents should enjoy reliable electric service this summer due to Sierra Pacific Power's new electric substation near the intersection of Emerson and Mark Way. Extensive landscaping was completed this spring for the substation, which has been on line since the fall of 2000.

Located on a 0.7-acre site, the $4.1 million project required installation of a transformer, switching gear and four new 12,000-volt electric distribution lines to serve homes and businesses in the growing north Carson area. Plans for the substation were modified by the utility to accommodate a bicycle path planned by Carson City. The Emerson Substation will reduce overloading on the electric distribution system that serves Carson City by providing a new power source for the north Carson area, said Sierra Pacific's Wes Wiens, Carson District manager."It's important to have this substation on line during the summer because that's typically when the demand for electricity is the greatest in Carson City," Wiens said."We needed the substation because residential and industrial growth in Carson City had overloaded our existing substations."

Growing Demand for Electricity in Carson Area He said peak electric demand for the Carson City-Douglas County-Dayton area is expected to reach approximately 125 megawatts (MW) this summer, up 5 MW from last year. A single megawatt can serve about 650 households. The main power source for the substation is an existing 120,000-volt electric transmission line that originates at a substation near the intersection of the Mount Rose Highway and U.S. Highway 395 and terminates at a facility east of Carson City.

Wiens said completion of the Carson Loop Project in 2000 provides two power sources for both the Emerson Substation and another substation located on Long Street near Sierra Pacific's office.

Contractors recently completed landscaping the substation site, Wiens said, noting they planted 69 trees and nearly 800 decorative shrubs. The site is surrounded by a fence constructed of Woodcrete, concrete specially textured to have a wood-like appearance.

Wiens said Sierra Pacific also has plans to upgrade the appearance of its Curry Street and Overland substations with new landscaping.

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