BELTON, Texas (KXXV) — Belton is set to welcome a new substation after the city council approved zoning for a 2.7-acre lot at the corner of Main Street and Lake Road.
This new development aims to prevent widespread power outages like those experienced in the winter of 2021.
Mayor David Leigh highlighted the proactive approach in addressing power reliability. "In 2021, we saw significant disruptions of power in the region, because of the brownouts and blackouts, as well as substations that were going down, so hopefully, this will renew, kind of, the reliability of our electrical systems," said Mayor Leigh.
A multitude of Belton and Bell County residents shared stories about their struggles during the 2021 grid crisis, including Angelica Murray, who was five months pregnant in February 2021 during the grid crisis. She expressed how 2021 has left with her lingering worries but appreciates the city’s efforts in enhancing power reliability.
Mayor Leigh also shared his personal experience with the impact of power outages. "I had a business that I was running as a manufacturing business, and if we were out 1 to 2 minutes, it would fail a lot of manufacturing operations, and you could lose tens of thousands of dollars. And when you start looking at hospitals and some sort of other critical things, just a few minutes without power can be significantly destructive," he explained. "Sometimes, when you lose power and you come back up, a lot of electronic items will fail, so having a more robust distribution system really helps the grid and really helps us in the local area."
The new substation is expected to bolster the reliability of Belton's electrical systems, providing a more secure and stable power supply for residents and businesses alike.
