POWERGRAMS

22 RELIABILITY Upgrades to Alabama Power's electrical infrastructure in Selma mean better, more reliable service for customers while providing additional capacity to support economic development, industry recruitment and jobs. The company's Power Delivery team has completed a new substation and upgrades on two others serving the downtown area, along with improvements to the transmission and distribution system throughout the city. The projects, which included adding "smart" technologies, were ongoing throughout 2021, aimed at boosting system capacity in downtown Selma and increasing the system voltage from 4,000 kilovolts to 12,000 kilovolts. The improvements are expected to strengthen the reliability and resiliency of the system, and reduce the scope and duration of outages caused by weather or other factors. "As a company we're always looking for ways to increase reliability and, when the power does go out, restore service to our customers as quickly as possible," said George Dobbins, Interconnections and Policy manager for Alabama Power. "In the case of Selma, we've increased the capacity of the distribution system and added a third feed to serve the downtown area." Dobbins said the improvements included upgrades to substations and transformers, and adding more reclosing devices that improve the system's ability to isolate outages and, in many cases, restore power automatically. "Bottom line: It means more timely power restoration for the thousands of customers in this area," Dobbins said. Alabama Power collaborated closely with local businesses in scheduling the work to limit service disruptions. The improvements give Alabama Power expanded options in Selma for rerouting power during storms or system issues, reducing the number and the duration of outages. The smart technology, which includes the new reclosers, offers new capabilities, including automatically detecting faults on the lines, often in seconds. The technology allows the company to quickly isolate trouble and switch the flow of power to reduce or eliminate outages. In many cases, the technology can address issues before they cause an outage, without any effect on customers. "We continue to look for ways to add resiliency to our system, improve service and minimize outage durations during storms," said Aubrey Carter, Community Relations manager for the Selma area. "This project adds flexibility in the system to better serve our downtown customers. It also positions us well to support growth in the future. "This is a great opportunity for Selma, and we are excited to be able to offer these benefits to our customers," Carter said. Selma Mayor James Perkins Jr. agreed. "Critical to the success and growth of our community are business partners who are forward thinking and proactive," Perkins said. "When it comes to improving individual and business performance by becoming more reliable, Alabama Power is a leader. A reliable power supply with reduced outages and quick recovery not only helps with municipal operations, but it also makes for a happier and more productive community. Infrastructure investments mean quality of life upgrades, and this makes Alabama Power a top shelf community and business partner." By Thatcher Chapman APC strengthens Selma infrastructure, improving service and system capacity SMART TECHNOLOGY MEANS FEWER, AND SHORTER, OUTAGES

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