UCEMC Finishes New Burgess Falls Road Substation

Upper Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation has completed a new Burgess Falls Road Substation.

CEO and General Manager Jennifer Brogdon said the new Fedex Terminal planned at Tennessee Avenue and Portebello coming to Baxter created the need.

“We are going to take some of the load off of the nearby Double Springs substation that was getting a little closer to capacity,” Brogdon said. “As our area is growing we really have to look at these substations to make sure they have enough capacity for today and for the future.”

Brogdon said residential growth of Baxter and an incoming concrete plant also played a role in the new substation. Brogdon said the site located near Interstate 40 has a power capacity of 25 Megawatts.

“Fortunately, Upper Cumberland was able to find a property where TVA who supplies our wholesale power already has some transmission lines nearby really close to the Burgess Falls Baxter I-40 exit,” Brogdon said. “We secured that property and began our construction. There is a lot of engineering studies that go into to. For us, having a smart substation was an important priority.”

Brogdon said it has advanced capabilities so technicians can monitor the site from their device. Brogdon said the $4-5 million site took about a year to construct. Brogdon said the majority of the materials were already ordered before the project began.

“We build these things for the next 20 years or more to make sure that we are going to be able to accommodate growth in the area,” Brogdon said. “We would absolutely anticipate being able to do that.”

Brogdon said the substation should be live in the coming weeks as final power lines are installed.