Andrew McBride, Director of Engineering for Arizona public power utility Gila River Indian Community Utility Authority, recently provided details on a new transmission project.
He said the new Knox to Park line is 1.2 miles in length and is comprised of 40 steel and ductile iron structures. The new line is designed for double-circuit 69 kV transmission, and double-circuit 12.47 kV distribution circuits.
Gila River Indian Community Utility Authority submitted an interconnection request to Arizona public power utility Salt River Project in 2020 for a new transmission line to provide an alternate 69 kV feed to GRICUA’s system in the Chandler area.
SRP prepared an interconnection facilities study in 2021 and Gila River Indian Community Utility Authority moved forward with additional right-of-way acquisition in 2021 and then began construction in 2024.
Addressing the question of how the project benefit customers of the Gila River Indian Community Utility Authority, McBride said the Knox to Park 69 kV line will provide better reliability to the industrial and commercial customers in Gila River Indian Community Utility Authority’s Chandler area.
He was also asked by Public Power Current whether any supply chain issues created challenges for keeping the project on schedule.
McBride said that procurement of the eight engineered structural steel poles were the long lead time items on this project. Other than that, the remaining 32 ductile iron poles and other hardware had reasonable lead times, he noted.
