Ruppert Substation to be Energized in December

Benton REA’s newest electric distribution substation is scheduled to come online in December.

This eight-bay power distribution hub will receive 115 kilovolt electricity from Bonneville Power Administration transmission lines near Ruppert Road in West Richland. It will transform the high-voltage electricity to 12.4 kV, making it ready to send through Benton REA’s distribution power lines. Benton REA’s pole-mount transformers will then decrease the voltage to 120/240 kV, safely powering homes and businesses.

One transformer was installed in 2021, but the substation has room to add another. The substation will take pressure off existing substations and increase reliability to all Benton REA members in the West Richland area.

“The bulk of the work was done by local companies,” says Joel Mietzner, system engineer.

The products and services provided by local vendors include:

• Crushed rock and gravel.
• Concrete foundations.
• Steel structures.
• Fastners.
• Wire.
• Conduit.
• Other electrical equipment.