Fire-Damaged Substation Restores Power Nearly a Year After Lightning Strike

In a significant development, the Electrical District No. 3 (ED3) has announced that a substation in Maricopa is back in service after a nine-month upgrade involving the installation of a new transformer. This step follows the destruction of the original transformer by a lightning strike last summer.

The severe event occurred on August 7, around 2:30 a.m., during a monsoon storm that struck the Maricopa area. The lightning strike resulted in a fire that caused the total loss of the 230-kilovolt transformer at the Western Area Power Administration’s Test Track Substation. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries from the incident.

This fire was not ordinary; chemicals within the transformer fueled intense flames, reaching heights of 20 feet. Residents reported seeing thick black smoke throughout the morning. Fire crews from the Ak-Chin Indian Community faced challenges, as they did not have the specialized solvent required to extinguish electrical fires. In response, technicians implemented temporary measures like stacking transformers to maintain power transmission.

WAPA spokesperson Steve Collier assured the public that no power customers faced outages, thanks to the redundancies built into the system, which allowed power to be rerouted around the affected substation. This facility is located at Teel and White-and-Parker Roads, approximately 4.5 miles south of city limits near the Nissan proving grounds.

Jack Murray, senior vice president and Desert Southwest regional manager, commented on the event’s unpredictability. “Mother Nature has a tendency to do things her way, and WAPA must be agile and responsive in emergencies,” he stated. He also expressed gratitude for the absence of injuries and praised the dedicated efforts of the teams involved.

Throughout the past year, WAPA collaborated closely with ED3 to rebuild the substation and replace the transformer. ED3 General Manager Brian Yerges lauded this cooperative effort, acknowledging the critical nature of the substation for the region. “Our target date was early May, and we achieved that schedule. The transformer is crucial as summer loads increase,” he noted.

Additionally, ED3 announced plans to expand the Test Track Substation by adding a second large transformer, a project costing $10 million. This initiative is part of the district’s capital improvement plan, aimed at meeting the growing electrical demand in Maricopa. The new transformer is expected to be ordered in the upcoming months, with plans for the expanded substation to be fully operational by 2028.

The August lightning strike incident emphasized the importance of readiness and training, according to WAPA. “Power transmission is key to our mission, and our crews are consistently preparing for various contingencies,” Murray said, reaffirming WAPA’s commitment to maintaining uninterrupted power supply.