UEC lineworker Chris Wellington was recognized on a regional level for his quick response to help a motorist who had collided with a power pole near Hermiston. Wellington was honored with the Northwest Public Power Association’s (NWPPA) Safety Heroism Award.
To maintain system reliability, crews trimmed trees and cleared brush along 5,524 spans of wire, with each about a football field in length. Crews inspected 1,104 transmission structures with detailed drone photos and tested the quality of 3,170 distribution poles.
Crews connected 294 new homes, businesses, and other service locations in 2022. 277,281 feet of line were installed, with nearly a dozen “backbone” services installed for new home subdivisions at Boardman, Umatilla, Hermiston, and Stanfield. Beyond new homes, new services were greatly varied – pumps, center pivots, water wells, concrete batch plant, elementary school, electric vehicle charger, lagoon digester, commercial shops, and several new Dollar General stores.
Major system upgrades included new poles carrying larger wires and additional circuits being installed on power lines in the Boardman, Juniper Canyon, and Foster West (Stanfield) areas.
Crews continued an 8-year underground conductor replacement program for cable that is over 30 years old and needs replacement. 4 miles were replaced in 2022, increasing UEC’s system reliability.
Crews began to replace fuses in high-fire-danger areas with new fuses that suppress any flames or sparks when activated, to better protect the system and mitigate the potential for wildfire.
UEC received a favorable review from an Oregon Public Utility Commission evaluation of our inspection and vegetation management programs.