Underground line conversion project ensures energy reliability

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Nathan Maysonet
  • 47th Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  The 47th Civil Engineer Squadron, in cooperation with the Rio Grande Electrical Cooperative, is scheduled to begin an underground line conversion project along both Liberty Drive and 6th Street here in October.

The overhead to underground electrical distribution conversion project places pre-existing electrical and cable wiring underground to reduce maintenance costs, weather-related damages and power fluctuations that often lead to pauses in power and blackouts.

"There were a lot of issues affecting the base due to 'power bumps', which are quick flickers of electricity that lead to a pause in power and can damage expensive equipment," said 2nd Lt. Charles Heim, 47th CES privatized utilities engineer. "Our heating, ventilation and air conditioning units would reset, lights on streets would go off and base operations would halt. Our flight line operations, and the base as a whole, needed more reliable power."

For years, base airmen dealt with common, if not routine, power outages, explained Heim. In order to address the growing issue, a 10 year plan to improve the bases electrical infrastructure began in February 2010, which included upgrades to voltage controls, line maintenance, lightning arrestors and the burying of cables underground.

Fewer cables overhead means fewer electrical poles that need to be maintained, repaired or replaced, explained Heim. Additionally, underground wires are less susceptible to weather and environmental damage, especially damage caused by wildlife.

"In August, half of Laughlin lost power for an hour because of a bird's nest on a power line," said Heim. "Little things like squirrels and birds can easily trip the power."

With the completion of the projects first underground conversion, which targeted Laughlin's flight line operations, and the additional upgrades to key infrastructure, major improvements are being noticed by Team XL.

"Since beginning our combined efforts with our partners, we have reduced base power outages and bumps by 60 percent," said David Morin, 47th CES base energy manager.

This latest conversion project is expected to take between two and three months to complete and is only one of many planned to improve Laughlin's power infrastructure.

"The sooner you put the cables underground the sooner you see the benefits," said Heim. "Interruptions in power affect our ability to train pilots and add to the difficulties we face already due to cutbacks. A project like this helps keep the mission rolling smoothly."