A power outage at noon Thursday left much of the Valley without electricity for nearly two hours.

The Trowbridge substation’s internal circuits are constructed of rigid, welded aluminum tubing. Strong winds broke a piece of tubing off the top of an insulator, Carbon Power & Light General Manager Chuck Larsen said.

Four workers from the CP&L crew fought 50- to 75-mile per hour wind gusts to make temporary repairs at the substation.

CP&L noticed problems at 11:15 a.m., and the crews found the problem by 12:15 p.m.
The substation was taken out of service so the crew could work safely to make the repairs, Larsen said.

Initially, only part of the Valley lost power, including some businesses in downtown Saratoga losing partial power because one of the three phases on the low voltage side of the transformer was affected by the damaged tubing, Larsen said.

West of Encampment, crews worked to remove a downed tree at Water Valley Ranch.

A permanent repair will require the substation to be taken out of service. Larsen said the public would be notified before repairs are made.