With warmer weather on the horizon, the ECI REC Operations team is gearing up for this year’s Work Plan and maintenance projects. Here is a quick recap of the work completed last year and a preview of some of the projects we will tackle in 2022.
2021 Recap
STORM WORK - Damage repairs from the 2020 derecho are complete, with the exception of a few improvements related to member upgrades.
WORK PLAN & MAINTENANCE PROJECTS - ECI REC rebuilt 23 miles of overhead and 20 miles of underground distribution line and cable in 2021. Our crews installed 136 new services, which included housing developments in the Urbana, Vinton, and Independence areas.
2021 OUTAGES - The charts below reflect the average outage minutes per member-account in 2021.
“The two windstorms that blew through this past November and December pushed the final outage numbers higher than we’d like to see,” said Operations Manager Tom Schmitt. “Maintaining a high standard of reliability is a critical goal. Our continued investment in the distribution system allows us to perform regular maintenance and other improvements, which will help us achieve that goal. As always, if you see something out on our lines that looks amiss, don’t hesitate to give us a call.”
2022 Preview
CONSTRUCTION WORK PLAN - In December 2020, the ECI REC Board of Directors approved a $22.4 million Construction Work Plan for 2021–2025. This year’s $4.5 million investment calls for 38 miles of overhead construction and 23 miles of underground cable replacement.
Our contractor—Highline Construction of Paynesville, Minnesota—has already started on the overhead construction work in the Maryville area of Fayette County. Upon completion, Highline will move to the Shellsburg area in Benton County.
Weather permitting, this spring CRC Trenching of Watkins, Iowa, will begin the underground cable installations. Underground work is planned for the Urbana, Shellsburg, Aurora, Winthrop, and Jesup areas.
LINE INSPECTIONS, MAINTENANCE, & SUBSTATION IMPROVEMENTS - ECI REC line crews are finishing up visual line patrol inspections and working on OCR (oil circuit recloser) maintenance.
Substation improvements are planned for Spring Creek this year. At the completion of this project, all substation reclosers will have been upgraded to modern electronic equipment.
VEGETATION & TREE TRIMMING - Landmark Turf Services of Dunkerton, Iowa, will complete ground vegetation control on over 300 miles of line in 2022. Maurer Tree
Service, LLC, of Fairbank, Iowa, will trim trees along over 130 miles of line in the Urbana and Maryville areas.
SUMMER HELP - As part of ECI REC’s commitment to our community, we’ll continue to hire individuals interested in the power line construction industry as summer help. This year, we will have future power line technician students working alongside our line crews in Vinton and Independence.
“This arrangement gives our crews additional help during the busy summer months,” said Tom. “And the students have the opportunity to gain valuable experience before leaving for school in the fall."
MATERIAL & EQUIPMENT AVAILABILITY - Global supply chain disruptions continue to affect ECI REC. Lead times for larger three-phase services, or substation transformers, currently exceed one year. Recent quotes on aerial basket trucks and digger-derrick trucks have ranged from eighteen months to over two years.
“Cooperative employees continue to adjust to these challenging times,” concluded Tom. “If you are considering an upgrade or new service, it is very important that you contact us as early as possible, so we can be prepared to serve your needs.”
