The voltage regulators on North Albany Road, seen on Aug. 21, aren’t regulating now.
When Pacific Power wanted to install three voltage regulators on North Albany Road in 2019, then Mayor Sharon Konopa objected to the installation’s appearance. Now there’s another issue: They don’t work.
At the time the power company said the regulators were needed for reliable service to North Albany, which had been growing rapidly. Council approval was needed because the location of the regulators was on the city’s right-of-way for North Albany Road.
Despite the mayor’s misgivings, the council said OK, and the devices were installed in October and November 2019.
Last week I got an email from a reader that recalled the flap over the regulators four years ago. “I live in NA,” Barry Swatman wrote, “and have noticed that these have been disconnected (maybe for several months now). Do you know why? It is just a little funny after the little controversy that now they sit there doing nothing.”
I put the question to Adam Kohler, the Albany-based regional business manager for Pacific Power.
“It is my understanding that the voltage regulators had a material defect,” Kohler replied. “We are currently bypassing the regulators as we pursue obtaining replacement equipment from the manufacturer. I have not been told an estimated time of arrival.”
I had some additional questions like: How long have these voltage regulators been disconnected, and what if any effect has this had on electric service in North Albany?
Those questions have answers, and when I get them I’ll pass them along.
On Monday I stopped near the regulators to take a look. Sure enough, the connecting cables were dangling in the air. (hh)
You can make out the disconnnected cables if you look closely.
There definitely seems to be a “procurement” issue in this city. Be it faulty regulators, switches for traffic lights, electrical cabinets for traffic signals, or lights for the bridge. Every project the city starts suffers LONG delays. I understand supply chain issues, but that doesn’t answer all.
This is a power company matter. The “city” has nothing to do with it.
I work as an electrician and some of the lead times for parts can be ridiculously long.
We ordered some service gear for a building that had a 50 week lead time so we ordered it a year in advance and it still didn’t arrive on time.
All I’m saying is that you need to understand the lead times before undertaking a project. The city put in traffic signals on Gibson Hill and then waited several months before a switch arrived. The dug up the intersection at Pacific and Airport Road and left it that way for months waiting for switch panel boxes.
You wouldn’t remove your windows or doors without having replacements (I would hope).
My first thought was ‘those are transformers”! It turns out “regulators” are just variable transformers. For those who care, it adjusts the voltage to compensate for varying loads “upstream” which can cause more/less voltage drop “downstream”.
If you want to tackle another Gordian Knot, try finding explanations for all the disconnected, unused wires on Old Salem Road in Millersburg — particularly around the corner across from the cemetery. There are multiple sections that seem to be remnants of older systems and there are sections that seems to go around invisible obstacles. It looks like a tangled mess and it would be good to clean it up.
Thanks for your articles, Hasso.
If I remember correctly, those are left over from Willamette Ind. They were for a 12kv line that ran from the paper mill’s co-gen to feed duraflake. I don’t believe they were ever used.
Despite a global scientific consensus about why we’re currently having the hottest summer on record, Vivek Ramaswamy did not deviate from his long-held position that climate change is a myth at the Republican presidential primary debate on Wednesday night. Asked if he believes in “human behavior causing climate change,” the biotech entrepreneur replied, “Climate change is a hoax. The reality is the anti-carbon agenda is the wet blanket on our economy.” The audience in the Milwaukee arena were not having it, however, and met his remarks with a round of boos and jeers. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, speaking next on her position, shut Ramaswamy down flatly, saying, “Climate change is real. Yes, it is. If you want to change the environment, we need to start telling China and India that they have to lower their emissions.”
And this relates to faulty voltage regulators how?
Did you listen to Haley? If so, why is the US spending trillions for nothing while Oregon spends billions when Oregon takes more CO2 out of the atmosphere than carbon usage produces.
Thank you for the report, Hasso. There is quite a bit of electrical work going on Spring Hill that started at Hwy 20 and continues up Springhill in the first mile.