Decommissioned substation to provide new workforce training opportunities
The North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives (NDAREC) has added a new piece of equipment to its apprenticeship, training and safety program, thanks to generous donations from Central Power Electric Cooperative and Rainbow Energy. Central Power donated a decommissioned substation, and Rainbow Energy paid for the concrete to install it at the Lineworker Training Center in Mandan. The distribution substation will be used to provide hands-on training to the state’s lineworkers and apprentice lineworkers.
“North Dakota’s electric cooperatives have a long history of working together to provide crucial training for the electric cooperative workforce, having founded the country’s first lineworker training school in partnership with Bismarck State College in 1970,” says NDAREC General Manager and Executive Vice President Josh Kramer. “It is critical for North Dakota’s electric cooperatives to plan for the future and train our workforce. As the number of substations in the state continues to grow, the demand for substation and relay technicians is on the rise. The donated substation will provide electric cooperatives with more training opportunities to develop the existing workforce to construct, operate and maintain distribution substations.”
Distribution substations play an important role in safely delivering reliable power to electric cooperative members. Electricity is transmitted at very high voltages and low currents to reduce heat and transmission losses. Transmission lines, which transfer electricity from the power supplier to the substation, require the highest voltage, as they carry power the furthest. Once electricity reaches a distribution substation, it is generally transformed down to 7,200 volts before being transmitted along the distribution lines, which carry power to members’ homes, farms and businesses.
“Central Power’s board of directors recognizes the value in training employees,” says Mark Sherman, Central Power manager of operations and engineering. “This substation will allow trainees to go beyond the textbook and gain invaluable hands-on experience, preparing them for careers at electric cooperatives.”
Previously located near McLean Electric Cooperative in Garrison, the decommissioned substation is scheduled to arrive at its new home, NDAREC’s Lineworker Training Center, in September. Central Power’s lineworkers will transport and rebuild the substation near the new training center.
“We are grateful to Central Power and Rainbow Energy for their generous donations and support of our electric cooperative education programs,” Kramer says.
NDAREC is the statewide trade association for 16 electric distribution cooperatives and five generation and transmission cooperatives operating in North Dakota. The distribution cooperatives provide electricity to more than 250,000 North Dakotans. NDAREC services include legislative advocacy, line worker safety training and professional development services, cooperative business development, and communication services including publication of the North Dakota Living magazine.