Pictured from left: Bill Hetherington, BEC CEO; Rob Sandidge and Michael D.T. Edwards, BEC Board Chairman
On November 6, BEC celebrated the completion of an upgrade to the Tarpley substation by dedicating it to Douglas R. "Rob" Sandidge, a recently retired BEC board member, pictured below.
Sandidge, a lifelong rancher who resides in Tarpley, was elected to the BEC board in August 2000 and retired in September 2019. He represented District 3, which includes the members of southwest Bandera, Tarpley and southeast Turtle Creek.
“Mr. Sandidge’s commitment to the cooperative is evident by his almost 19 years of service,” said Bill Hetherington, BEC CEO. “BEC is pleased to dedicate the substation in his honor.”
Construction began at the Tarpley substation in December 2019 and was completed earlier this year as part of a larger project that includes a 17-mile transmission line and two additional substation upgrades. The overall project allows for a future conversion of the transmission line, upgrading it from 69,000 volts to 138,000 volts, or twice the load on the line. The Tarpley substation improvements cost an estimated $5.8 million and will increase the electric reliability for thousands of BEC members.
“The electric load in Texas is steadily growing, which affects all substations and transmission lines,” said Thilo Janssen, manager of engineering. “In order to keep the bulk power system reliable in the BEC service territory and adjacent areas, BEC invests in upgrading and maintaining the associated equipment to improve the stability and reliability for the greater region.”