Congratulations to Christopher Beasley from Rock Hill. Beasley’s question “Has YEC considered burying some power lines to prevent frequent power outages? How costly would that be and would it negatively impact the number of linemen needed to service lines?” was selected to be answered this month and he received $25.
Answer: Approximately 1,500 of the 3,500 miles of line YEC has are underground. The majority of new lines we install annually are underground, and we see this trend continuing as this has become the norm for new residential and commercial developments.
While we do replace some overhead lines with underground service throughout the year, it would be too much of a financial impact on the membership to replace our existing 2,000 miles of line underground. It is estimated to cost hundreds of millions of dollars and take more than 10 years to complete. The impact on the rates we charge you, our members, would be tremendous. YEC’s linemen are extensively cross trained in all areas of operation. It would not have a negative impact on them.
To enter the monthly contest, submit your question by emailing it to Porter.Gable@yorkelectric.net or by mailing it to YEC, P.O. Box 150, York, SC 29745—Attention: SCL Q & A. The deadline for receiving questions is the first of the month, but questions that come in after the deadline will be considered for the following month.
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