Operations Report

Message from Operations: A look back on the June storm 

As potential storms approach, our committed team at Roughrider Electric Cooperative is prepared to respond quickly and safely, working to restore power as soon as conditions allow. In June, Roughrider Electric’s service area endured damaging winds accompanied by hail and thunderstorms. During these conditions vegetation and buildings do not fare well and it will occasionally impact our system as well. While a cooperative can be prepared for storms and utilize technology to identify outages and damage, we would not be able to assess the full impact without our employees and members. 

Damage was found across the service territory for Roughrider Electric’s infrastructure including transmission and distribution poles. A tornado was identified near our Schefield Substation located southwest of Dickinson, leaving damage to the transmission line serving this substation. Due to Roughrider Electric’s underground distribution lines, which serve members from the Schefield Substation, members’ electric services were not disturbed and were able to be served from other substations in the area while repairs were made. The high winds also left nine transmission poles damaged in that area. Hazen and Center also endured damage due to high winds and lightning. Some of the impact in this area included damage to a transformer from a lightning strike as well as five distributions poles. Dedicated crew members worked through the night and into the next afternoon to fix damage and restore power to members. Electric construction companies, 3C Construction and Coal Creek Construction, joined Roughrider Electric to assist in the restoration process. 3C Construction is a electric construction company owned by four North Dakota distribution cooperatives including Roughrider Electric. 

The technology Roughrider Electric utilizes helps the operations department identify a starting point for the restoration process. Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, known as SCADA, helps Roughrider Electric see where an open circuit breaker may be. Identifying an open circuit breaker helps them pinpoint where an interruption is, which impacts members' electric services. 

Damaging storms persisted for several days across North Dakota. As Roughrider Electric crews finished restoring electric service to its members, they lent a helping hand to other rural electric cooperatives including KEM Electric Cooperative and Mor-Gran-Sou Electric Cooperative, assisting in their restoration efforts. One of the greatest strengths of being a part of an electric cooperative is the mutual support cooperatives provide to one another in times of need.  

We understand when a storm hits our service area, it impacts everyone from homes, businesses and operations. It is our top priority to restore power back to members in a safe and efficient manner. We are grateful to have understanding members who make these tasks a bit easier from reporting power outages to lending a helping hand to crews in the field. Thank you all once again for your patience and assistance as we worked to navigate the impacts of this storm.