Ask the Energy Expert
Where does my power come from?Dan Alexander, Operations Supervisor
Q. Where does my power come from?
A. The power Cuivre River members receive comes from across Missouri through a cooperative-owned network of regional power plants and transmission lines, interconnections with other Midwestern utilities, local substations and distribution lines.
Q. How is my power delivered?
A. Cuivre River purchases your power from CEPC, which delivers it primarily from AECI power plants in Missouri to 20 local substations at a transmission line voltage of 161,000 volts (v).
At each of these substations this transmission voltage is stepped down to our distribution voltages of 7,200 and 14,400. At the transformer serving your account, voltage will be stepped down again to the 120/240v that you utilize in your house.
Our 108 main feeder lines that emanate from the substations distribute electricity to various areas throughout the system. These lines are usually configured to allow connection to other feeder lines so that we have alternate avenues to deliver your power in case of trouble on a line that we may not be able to repair quickly.
Along the way at strategic points, protective devices such as fuses and reclosers help isolate sections of line to minimize the number of people affected by a power outage.
Most often when you see your lights blink, it is because a recloser has sensed a fault on the line. It will open for a short time to try to allow a simple problem like a squirrel or small tree limb to clear itself from the line. The device may open and close several times before it senses a permanent fault and will then remain open until the problem has been found and corrected. The next time you reset your clocks after a blink, know that a long term outage was averted.
When these devices open, they disrupt the flow of electricity, reduce safety hazards and prevent further damage to electrical equipment down the line. When the fault is cleared and the line is repaired, the devices are reset, making it possible for power to flow through the line once again.
Presently we have 30,280 transformers serving 59,312 meters. We have 5,306 miles of line protected by 4,807 fuses and reclosers. This infrastructure keeps power flowing safely and reliably from the substations to your home or business.
Q. How is my power produced?
A. A variety of resources are used to generate your power. They include power plants fueled by low sulfur coal shipped to Missouri from Wyoming's Powder River Basin, natural gas, wind turbines and hydroelectric dams.
To provide your power at the lowest cost, AECI uses the most affordable fuel available when power is needed. If power can be purchased for a lower price than it can be produced, it's acquired through interchange agreements with other utilities. These agreements allow AECI to sell excess power in the same way.
AECI's most recent annual report states that 80% of your electricity was produced from coal, 9% from hydropower, 6% from natural gas, 4% from power purchases and 1% by wind.
Your cooperative-owned generation capacity includes 2,619 megawatts (MW) of coal and 2,258 MW of gas and oil. Cooperatives can also access up to 478 MW of hydropower and 300 MW of wind, although availability fluctuates.
Dan Alexander is Cuivre River's Operations Supervisor, with more than 35 years of experience, including 25 years as a journeyman lineman. Information was also obtained from Associated Electric Cooperative. To learn how lines are repaired following a major outage, visit the Power Restoration Plan page.