Power for Progress…A weekly column from the Grand River Dam AuthorityGRDA’s 2024 in review: Part 2

Milestone moment … GRDA Chairman Chris Meyers speaks to attendees at the May 16, 2024, groundbreaking event for GRDA’s new Unit 4 gas generator. That new unit is expected to begin commercial operations in 2026.

The second quarter of 2024 proved to be a very busy time for the Grand River Dam Authority, as spring arrived in Oklahoma, and exciting new projects got underway. This week, we continue our look back on GRDA’s 2024 with some highlights from April, May, and June.

As is often the case, springtime brought storm season to Oklahoma. In April, a tornado moved through the GRDA municipal customer community of Wagoner, causing some damage. GRDA crews responded by providing mutual aid to the city, to help get the power flowing again. It would be the first of many mutual aid opportunities for GRDA during the year.

Also in April, a group of GRDA powerline, fleet management and safety employees headed traveled to the Navajo Reservation in Arizona. The team was part of a larger, mutual aid effort among public power utilities called “Light Up Navajo.” Coordinated by the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) and the American Public Power Association (APPA), the project’s goal was to bring together volunteers from other public power utilities to build electric distribution infrastructure across the 27,000 square mile reservation, in order to bring electricity to homes that had never been powered before. This was GRDA’s third time participating in the project.

Finally, April was a special month for GRDA’s Ed Fite, as he received a lifetime achievement award from the Oklahoma Clean Lakes and Watersheds Association, for his efforts in caring for the waters of Oklahoma.

In mid-May a defining moment took place when GRDA broke ground for its new Unit 4, simple cycle gas generator, located at the Grand River Energy Center (GREC). GRDA welcomed several guests to the ceremony to officially begin the construction project, which is expected to be completed in 2026.

Unfortunately, late May brought more storms to the area, including a large tornado that caused considerable damage in Claremore. Once again, GRDA crews, along with crews from other public power communities, responded to help repair the electric distribution system and restore power to the community.

Speaking of customer communities, GRDA hosted a Certified Switchyard Training Course for municipal customers in June. The training was created to promote safe operations of GRDA systems and to potentially reduce extended outages. Several customer communities attended the workshop.

Next week, we will take a closer look at GRDA’s Summer 2024.

GRDA is Oklahoma’s largest public power electric utility; fully funded by revenues from electric and water sales instead of taxes. Each day, GRDA strives to be an “Oklahoma agency of excellence” by focusing on the 5 E’s: employees, electricity, economic development, environmental stewardship, and efficiency.

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