Most customers of the Okanogan County Electric Co-operative (OCEC) will have one more power outage so utility technicians can make the final connection to supply power to Winthrop and Mazama via the Pateros-Twisp transmission line.
The overnight outage will last eight hours and 15 minutes from June 30 to July 1. It will begin at 9:45 p.m. on Sunday night and last until approximately 6 a.m. Monday morning.
Technicians with the Okanogan County Public Utility District (PUD) and Bonneville Power Administration will attach a new 1/2-mile connection from the Loup Loup line directly into the Twisp substation, where the Winthrop line will have its own protective breaker, according to the PUD.
The new connection means the Winthrop transmission line will be fed by the Pateros-Twisp transmission line, with the Loup Loup line as a back-up. It will be possible to switch between the two in an emergency or during maintenance.
“Once this is finished, the Winthrop line will have its own breaker at Twisp,” said David Gottula, OCEC’s general manager.
The 27-mile Pateros-Twisp transmission line was energized in October 2017, providing a redundant system for PUD customers so that power can come from either Pateros or over the Loup.
In addition to the OCEC customers, the outage will affect PUD customers near the Loup Loup Ski Hill, Pleasant Valley, Malott and the Chiliwist.
All people using medical equipment that requires electrical power need to make provisions for an eight-hour, 15-minute outage.
About 10% to 15% of OCEC customers — generally in the Twisp area and on Twisp River Road — are already served by the Pateros-Twisp line and will not be affected by the outage. Anyone with questions about whether a particular residence or business will not have power on the night of June 30 should call OCEC at 996-2228.
