Oak Ridge Today

Power to TRISO at Horizon could cost $13 million

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This map shows the potential route of 69-kilovolt overhead power lines for the TRISO-X nuclear fuel facility at Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge, starting at the substation (SUB) on the south side of Highway 95/58 (lower right), continuing up Novus Drive (center right), crossing onto Horizon Center land, and then running east (to the right) on the back side of Site 6 (open area at upper right).

Building a new substation and electrical lines to supply power to a nuclear fuel company could cost $13 million, Oak Ridge officials said in December.

The nuclear fuel company, TRISO-X, needs about 32 to 35 megawatts of electricity at Horizon Center in west Oak Ridge. That would make the company the city’s biggest electrical customer. (Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex get most of their power directly from Tennessee Valley Authority.)

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Updated: TVA ends blackouts in Oak Ridge

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Note: This story was updated at 3 p.m.

The Tennessee Valley Authority has terminated rolling blackouts in Oak Ridge.

“Everything is now going back to normal,” City of Oak Ridge spokesperson Lauren Gray said.

The mandatory rolling blackouts that affected electricity across the region and in the City of Oak Ridge were to help TVA meet the power demand today (Friday, December 23), a press release said.

The blackouts were expected to affect about 2 percent of Oak Ridge Electric Department customers and last for about 30 minutes, the press release said. The blackouts were expected across the Tennessee Valley.

They were being conducted because of the low temperatures and to meet high power demand, according to the press release, which came from the City of Oak Ridge.

Information was not available about which 2 percent of customers were affected, although there were measures in place to ensure hospitals, fire departments, and other similar operations are not without power, Gray said.

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City seeks spending authority for Horizon Center power

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Nuclear fuel company TRISO-X needs electrical power for a manufacturing facility in Horizon Center by December 2024, and the Oak Ridge Electric Department wants the authority to spend up to $3 million to help make that possible. (Image by City of Oak Ridge)

Nuclear fuel company TRISO-X needs electrical power for a manufacturing facility in Horizon Center by December 2024, and the Oak Ridge Electric Department wants the authority to spend up to $3 million to help make that possible.

If approved by Oak Ridge City Council, the money would be used to design and build a new electric substation and distribution network to provide power to Lot 6 on the back side of Horizon Center, which is on the west side of town. The work would include engineering design, land surveys, site clearing, the purchase of materials, and acquiring permits and other required items.

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Ardo Ba named Oak Ridge electric director

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Ardo Ba

The City of Oak Ridge has named Ardo Ba as its new electric director.

Ba, who previously served as Oak Ridge Electric Department’s electric operations manager, has served as interim electric director since former Director Jack Sugg’s promotion to deputy city ,anager in March. Ba begins this role immediately.

“I’ve been with the Oak Ridge Electric Department since 2009, when I started as an electrical project manager,” Ba said in a press release. “We have a great group of people working together to keep the lights on and life running, and I am ready to move our department forward as its next director.”

Ba was promoted to electric operations manager in 2017. In that role, he directed and managed Electric Department crews, including contract crews. He made sure departmental staff were up to date on training and ensured compliance with all safety-related practices, laws, and regulations, the press release said.

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Fallen tree causes widespread power outages

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A fallen tree on Wiltshire Drive caused widespread power outages in Oak Ridge on Thursday, May 27, 2021. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

A fallen tree on Wiltshire Drive caused widespread power outages in Oak Ridge on Thursday evening.

The City of Oak Ridge reported the power outages at about 8 p.m. Thursday. The city said the Oak Ridge Electric Department was working to repair power, and at about 9 p.m., the city said power could be restored to most customers within an hour.

Suggs promoted to deputy city manager

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Jack Suggs

Oak Ridge Electric Director Jack Suggs has been promoted to deputy city manager. He will start his new job Monday, March 8.

In his new position, Suggs will help with several projects, including the new water plant, economic development projects, computer software, and the transfer of the Oak Ridge Airport project, the city said in a press release.

Suggs’ promotion will allow other potential leaders to advance, most immediately in the Oak Ridge Electric Department, the press release said. Ardo Ba, who is currently the department’s electric operations manager, will serve as interim electric director.

“The city is fortunate to have someone with a unique set of engineering, business, and operations knowledge and experience who is able to step up,” Suggs said of Ba. “I am confident that I am leaving the department in capable hands.”

Suggs joined the City of Oak Ridge in 1989 as assistant director of public works after having served in related professional positions in Texas. He began serving as electric director in 1991.

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Tower rebuilding complete, South Illinois re-opened overnight

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The replacement of a large high-voltage transmission tower was completed Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021, and South Illinois Avenue re-opened to traffic at about midnight. (Photo courtesy Tennessee Valley Authority)

The rebuilding of a large high-voltage transmission tower in Oak Ridge was completed Sunday, and South Illinois Avenue re-opened to traffic at about midnight.

The 155-foot steel lattice tower that had to be replaced was knocked over when a pickup truck crashed into it at about 4:15 p.m. Friday. The tower, which is at Union Valley Road, carries high-voltage Tennessee Valley Authority transmission lines and city transmission and distribution lines.

The four-lane road, the main connection between Oak Ridge and Knox County, was closed for about two days after the crash while crews removed and replaced the damaged transmission tower.

TVA said the crash also caused damage to three smaller structures, and they were repaired.

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South Illinois Avenue to re-open by midnight

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South Illinois Avenue is expected to re-open by midnight Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021, near the University of Tennessee Arboretum after being closed for more than two days because of a large high-voltage transmission tower that was knocked over in a crash on Friday. The repair work is pictured above on Sunday. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

South Illinois Avenue is expected to re-open by midnight near the University of Tennessee Arboretum after being closed for more than two days because a large high-voltage transmission tower was knocked over near the road in a crash on Friday. The road re-opening is expected to occur before the Monday morning commute.

Power is still out for a small southeast portion of the city near the crash site, including the University of Tennessee Arboretum, the City of Oak Ridge said Sunday evening.

The single-vehicle crash into the Tennessee Valley Authority steel lattice transmission tower was reported at Union Valley Road at about 4:15 p.m. Friday. That section of the four-lane road, also known as State Route 62 and Pellissippi Parkway, has been closed since shortly after the crash. The road is the main connection between Oak Ridge, Knox County, and Knoxville.

TVA and the Oak Ridge Electric Department worked over the weekend to replace the damaged transmission tower, which carries TVA and Oak Ridge power lines. The repair crews had help from the Oak Ridge Police Department and Oak Ridge Public Works Department. It was a complex emergency repair, the City of Oak Ridge said.

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Photos: TVA transmission tower repair

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Crews replace the Tennessee Valley Authority’s high-voltage steel lattice transmission tower knocked over in a crash at Union Valley Road and South Illinois Avenue on Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The City of Oak Ridge has published photos of the work to replace the high-voltage steel lattice transmission tower knocked over in a single-vehicle crash at Union Valley Road and South Illinois Avenue on Friday.

The city said the Tennessee Valley Authority and Oak Ridge Electric Department crews are working together, with help from the Oak Ridge Police Department and Public Works Department, to “maintain a safe work environment for a very complex emergency repair.

“Crews are working to have South Illinois Avenue at Union Valley Road open as soon as possible,” the city said.

On Sunday, TVA said the repair work could be complete in time to re-open South Illinois Avenue, a four-lane roadway that connects Oak Ridge to Knox County, for the Monday morning commute. That’s assuming there are no delays due to weather or drilling problems.

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Oak Ridge Electric Department partners with TVA to donate another $10,000 to ADFAC

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The Oak Ridge Electric Department has partnered with the Tennessee Valley Authority to award another $10,000 to Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) to help the local community during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, a press release said.

The funds will be used to help meet the essential needs of the residents of Oak Ridge, including rent, housing, and utilities, the press release said. This donation is in addition to the $10,000 that was donated to ADFAC back in April.

“These funds have been able to assist more than 160 households in Oak Ridge since March, with much needed assistance paying for utilities and rent,” said Oak Ridge Electric Director Jack Suggs. “We are very grateful for this opportunity and hope it reduces the potential for things like utility termination and eviction.”

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Utilities Business Office returning to Municipal Building

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Oak Ridge Utilities Business Office Exterior
Oak Ridge Utilities Business Office (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Utilities Business Office will return to the Municipal Building following the completion of renovations. The Utilities Business Office, or UBO, will reopen in its updated space on Monday, February 10, the Oak Ridge Electric Department said.

UBO operations were moved to the nearby Oak Ridge Civic Center for about four months while renovations were under way. The changes were needed to increase efficiency and safety, the Electric Department said.

Customers routinely handle utility and property tax concerns at the UBO, including signing up for new accounts, terminating services, and making payments, the press release said. Utility and tax bills are also generated in this office.

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Power outages planned in west Oak Ridge on Saturday

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Oak Ridge electrical infrastructure (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Electric Department is advising customers in far west Oak Ridge of two planned power outages set for Saturday, December 7.

The first outage is scheduled to take place close to 7 a.m., with the second outage set for 2 p.m. Each outage is expected to be brief, lasting approximately 15 minutes.

Customers likely to be affected by the planned outages include the far west end of Oak Ridge at or near The Preserve.

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