News

Ready to Respond

Apr 07, 2021

With approximately 1,200 miles of high-voltage electric transmission lines carrying its power across Oklahoma, the Grand River Dam Authority has a lot of ground to cover when it comes to maintaining its system. Fortunately, a team of dedicated and experienced professionals keeps an eye on that system 24/7/365.

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

With approximately 1,200 miles of high-voltage electric transmission lines carrying its power across Oklahoma, the Grand River Dam Authority has a lot of ground to cover when it comes to maintaining its system. Fortunately, a team of dedicated and experienced professionals keeps an eye on that system 24/7/365. They operate it, maintain it and, when necessary, step in to make repairs and upgrades.

These are the things Team GRDA does in order to deliver affordable electricity to its customers while maintaining its reputation as a reliable electricity supplier.

And this reputation is no secret. In fact, the American Public Power Association (APPA) recently honored GRDA with a “certificate of excellence” for its high electric reliability marks during 2020, noting that GRDA outage times were much lower than the national average. It was the third time in four years that GRDA has received this honor from APPA, which also designated GRDA as a “Reliable Public Power Provider” (RP3) utility in 2019.

Of course, achieving those marks requires teamwork. From the system planners to those who keep the rights-of-way clear, and from the system operators to the electric linemen and hundreds of other employees who play a part. Maintaining reliability is a Team GRDA team effort, every day.

As spring and storm season approaches, it is hard to say for sure exactly what possible Oklahoma weather challenges could await utilities. However, one certainty is that GRDA’s team is ready to respond.

GRDA is Oklahoma’s largest public power 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.