Bangor and Presque Isle, Maine - A substation is under construction in a new location off Route 1 to serve customers in Machias and Whitneyville. Versant crews and contracted construction crews have been hard at work on October Lane preparing the grounds and installing equipment for the new substation.


The new substation, replacing the former Bad Little Falls substation, is out of the public eye and no longer along the Machias River. It will feature all-new modernized equipment including a new transformer, control house, and improved communications technology.


“The new technology at the Machias substation will make service more reliable for area customers,” said Power System Technical Supervisor at Versant, Kevin Worster. “It will allow for quicker identification and communication of outages, which means shorter outages and more precise data for customers.”


The substation’s new transformer, breakers and other necessary equipment will be installed this summer. Once construction and installation are complete with the help of contractors Sargent Electric, Hanscom and CCB, all equipment will be tested and commissioned. The substation is expected to be up and running in early fall.


The previous Bad Little Falls substation location was decommissioned over the past few years after reaching the end of its useful life with over 65 years of service. After substation infrastructure was safely removed, Versant crews and contractors revitalized the former site into a parking area.


More Versant Power news is available here.