Southwest Transmission Cooperative
Southwest Transmission Cooperative, Inc., (SWTC) is the transmission cooperative of Arizona’s G&T Cooperatives. Through its 619 miles of transmission line SWTC delivers wholesale electric power from the Arizona Electric Power Cooperative’s Apache Generating Station in Cochise, Arizona, to its six Class-A member distribution coops which in turn distribute the power to the member/customers in communities in southeastern and south central Arizona, Mohave County and Bullhead City in northwestern Arizona as well as Anza, California.
SWTC has always been a leader in reliability and is constantly assessing the best and most cost-effective ways to transmit power to its members, saving them and their customers money.
Stimulus grant funding and the potential of “smart grid” technology came together in a big way for Southwest Transmission Cooperative, Inc., (SWTC) in 2009 when the U.S. Department of Energy awarded it and two member cooperatives more than $32 million to help develop smart grid technology on more than 6,400 miles of transmission and distribution power lines in Arizona.
DOE notification of the grant, which was received in October 2009 after months of exhaustive study and proposals by SWTC staff on how the funding for emerging technology could best be used to enhance SWTC’s system to give member cooperatives and their customers “the best bang for their buck,” said Bill Riley, SWTC’s manager of transmission operations and maintenance.
SWTC is one of fewer than 100 entities across the country, most of them utilities but a few other types of energy-related companies as well, selected to receive a portion of the more than $3.4 billion that was set aside by Congress in 2009.
The member cooperatives that partnered with SWTC for the grant were Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative, Inc. (SSVEC) and Mohave Electric Cooperative, Inc. (MEC).
Mike Pattie, power system controller, at transmission desk in Dispatch
While the term “smart grid” has produced a host of concepts and many customers of electric utilities think it’s an entirely new concept, SWTC has been ahead of the curve in implementing smart grid technology for at least five years leading up to the awarding of the grant.
The smart grid grant means the potential for new jobs as well, with more than 10 positions at one member cooperative and, according to DOE estimates, up to 400 new jobs at businesses outside the cooperatives that will provide services and products related to developing and installing the smart grid system.
More than 143,000 customers in southern Arizona and northern Arizona in the Bullhead City area are served by the grid that will be upgraded using the grant funds.
Look for SWTC to continue to be a leader in system enhancement and smart grid technology in order to optimize system enhancements and hold down costs.
Southwest Transmission Cooperative Fast Facts
- Miles transmission line: 619
- Number of Substations: 25
- Number of Transformers: 35 (includes partial ownership transformers)
- Installed kVA capacity: 2,995,547
- Estimated miles of line added each year (multi-year average): 8 *
*In May 2009 SWTC in partnership with Class-A Member Graham County Electric Cooperative, Inc. (GCEC) completed the 14-mile 69 kV transmission line from its Hackberry Substation to the GCEC Thatcher Substation in Thatcher, Arizona.
The new line doubles capacity and reliability for GCEC and its member/customers as well as the town of Thatcher and the city of Safford. The project was completed ahead of schedule and slightly under budget at a total cost of $4.9 million
