Mason PUD 3 has been awarded a $1.9 million state Department of Commerce grant toward the cost of upgrading the Pioneer substation, which will improve reliability and increase capacity for that area.
The Pioneer substation serves the Pioneer school district and nearby areas such as Agate, Timber Lakes, and Harstine Island. PUD 3 has seen more growth in that area in recent years than any other substation service area, which has put pressure on the substation to keep up with power demand. In 2023, 27% of all new connections were to the Pioneer substation, which is one of 12 substations on the PUD 3 system.
In January 2024 when a severely cold winter storm struck Mason County, the subzero temperatures and increased heating needs pushed the current Pioneer power transformer beyond its designed capacity. This resulted in several outages.
A majority of the cost of the Pioneer project will be a new, larger power transformer that will nearly double the capacity at the substation. Substation transformers currently take around 2-3 years from purchase to delivery, so work could be done in summer 2027 or 2028. PUD 3 will also install new relay panels to match the increased power need and keep the power on.
“With rising prices, increased demand, and more extreme weather, this funding award couldn’t come at a better time,” Mason PUD 3 CEO Annette Creekpaum said. “This project makes it possible to provide more of what these communities need: staying warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and keeping power rates low.”
PUD 3 is grateful to the multiple community members and local officials who provided support letters to help win the grant.
The grant program was geared especially toward strengthening the electric grid, increasing reliability, and preparing for storms, according to Commerce, and this project fit firmly into those categories. Commerce awarded more than $23 million in grants to 18 projects across Washington to increase grid reliability. More information about the program and recipients are posted on Commerce’s website.