Electrical substation to be built north of Pierre, making power outages less likely

During a joint meeting yesterday (Tues.), the Pierre City and Hughes County Commissions approved a deal to prepare for the future growth and electrical needs of the area.

East River Electric Cooperative John Knofczynski with says they’ll build a substation north of Pierre.

Knofczynski says adding the substation will reduce the likelihood of power outages.

Pierre Utilities director Brad Palmer says there’s currently no buffer between the town’s and Western Area Power Administration’s electrical grids. He says adding the Ashtap substation will create that buffer.