News

GRDA Department Spotlight: Operations Engineering

Jan 29, 2020

Jeff Beasley, a member of the GRDA Operations Engineering Department, reviews system plans. Each day, Beasley and his department colleagues help to insure that GRDA power is delivered reliably all across the service area.

Power for Progress… a weekly column from the Grand River Dam Authority.

While keeping the power flowing across the Grand River Dam Authority’s large and sophisticated energy delivery system requires the efforts of many departments, the task of planning how that system will look in the future largely falls to the GRDA Operations Engineering Department.

Today, that department includes 24 employees, who combine to bring nearly 220 years of electric engineering experience to the table for GRDA each day. The ultimate goal for each project undertaken by the department is aimed at maintaining and often improving GRDA’s ability to deliver reliable, abundant electricity to customers all across the system.  The department accomplishes that goal with its years of experience, dedication, teamwork, expertise to insure the welfare of the public, GRDA employees and the environment in which the GRDA system operates.

Whether its construction of a new substation, rebuild of an existing transmission line, or perhaps construction of a brand new line to bolster GRDA’s infrastructure and ability to deliver power, the GRDA Operations Engineering Department is at work from the ground up, completing studies, finalizing plans, working with other departments and contractors to see the project through to success.

With over 1,200 miles of high-voltage transmission lines and related substations and other components located all across the GRDA service area, the GRDA Operations Engineering Department plays a critical role in how all those components interact today and how they will continue to work reliably into the future.

GRDA is Oklahoma’s state-owned electric utility; fully funded by revenues from electric and water sales instead of taxes. Each day, GRDA strives to be an “Oklahoma agency of excellence” by focusing on the 5 E’s: electricity, economic development, environmental stewardship, employees and efficiency. 

# # #