There will soon be more lights and power in southeastern Limestone County as work on a new Athens Utilities substation off Powell Road nears completion.

Dubbed the Limestone Creek substation, the roughly $3.2-million project is being built near an existing 500-kilovolt substation operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority. Blair Davis, manager of Athens’ Electric Department, said some electricity has been pushed out of the substation, but it won’t be fully operational until construction is completed and new overhead utility lines are installed.

Recently, about 36 poles were delivered to Holladay Road, which connects U.S. 72 and Huntsville-Browns Ferry Road. Davis anticipated work to string line on those poles should be completed within the next two months.

When asked why Athens Utilities still relied on traditional overhead power lines as opposed to underground lines, Davis said cost and reliability are both factors in the decision.

“(Underground utilities) can be four times as much as overhead lines,” he said. “From a troubleshooting standpoint, it’s also easier to identify problems with overhead lines.”

The new lines and substation will serve Holladay Road and customers south of U.S. 72 from Mooresville to County Line roads. Davis wasn’t aware of any new construction planned for Holladay Road because the road is in Huntsville-annexed Limestone County, so Huntsville would approve any new building permits.

A request for information regarding active permits on Holladay Road was not answered by Huntsville officials prior to The News Courier’s deadline.

Power projects progressing

Davis said Athens Utilities officials began planning for future capacity needs several years ago, but construction on the Limestone Creek substation and many of the related circuits began a little more than a year ago.

The 50-megawatt Limestone Creek station, which will have the capacity to expand to 250 megawatts, will initially serve 5,000 homes and businesses in eastern Limestone County with a ceiling of 25,000, officials previously said.

Limestone Creek station is part of a $12-million improvement project that initially included three new substations. To cover the cost of the improvements, the utility issued revenue bonds in 2015.

Work on the Buck Island substation, a 50-megawatt substation, is moving forward. It will serve customers from the Elk River back to Athens.

The 50-megawatt Blackburn substation is on hold for now, however, because Athens Utilities built a new substation to service GE Aviation, also in Huntsville-annexed Limestone.