Currin Substation— often referred to by Eugene Water and Electric Board- as the city's “Grand Central Station”—is now in the final stages of updates to increase the facility's electrical capacity.
EWEB’s lead engineer on the project, Phillip Peterson, said the update will ensure the utility can meet growing energy demands, while also increasing security and reliability.
“As electrification continues, temperatures increase, or decrease if it’s the wintertime, it’s really, really important that people have the energy they expect,” Peterson said. “And we’re doing our part to deliver that.”
The upgraded facility includes all-new equipment, flexible components that meet seismic standards, and a safer, non-conductive fence around its perimeter.
Currin is the largest substation owned exclusively by EWEB and sits within a two-acre lot just off the I-105 freeway in Northern Eugene.
EWEB says the station will undergo final connections and testing over the next few months.
The Currin Station has been out of service since demolition began in the spring of 2023. EWEB officials said shutting down the station would not affect service, even in the case of another substation failing.
“The majority of EWEB customers can be fed from multiple substations, so taking one offline doesn’t mean that we’re gonna have a customer without power, (it) just means that they’re going to be getting their power from a different substation,” said Peterson.
Peterson said substations are due for either major upgrades or total reconstruction around every 50 years.
The Currin rebuild is the first in a series of capital improvement projects that EWEB has planned over the next 10 years. The utility plans to revamp a number of other substations and other facilities with a budget of over $600 million.
More information about EWEB’s current projects can be found at their website.
