Delaware Electric Cooperative completes construction on a new substation in Sussex County, improving reliability for its members. The Dorey Substation was energized in late October and will provide power to approximately 2,100 homes in the Georgetown area for decades. Located along Zoar Road, the facility was built to keep up with growing energy demand in eastern Sussex County.
DEC is connecting electrical service to thousands of new homes and businesses each year in Sussex County. In 2021, the co-op connected service to 4,114 homes — most of the new services were in Sussex County. Following a record-setting year for reliability in 2021, the co-op remains committed to providing dependable power while keeping up with growing demand.
“The energizing of Dorey Substation supports DEC’s mission of providing reliable power to members,” says Troy Dickerson, vice president of engineering. “DEC has experienced explosive growth in eastern Sussex County over the past decade. The facility will enhance the co-op’s electric service that our members can depend on for years to come.”
Dorey Substation was developed in partnership with Delmarva Power, which is the transmission provider for DEC. During power outages, Dorey will allow the cooperative to redirect power more easily to homes that are in the dark, meaning the approximately 2,100 members served by the new substation can expect to experience fewer outages. The new addition will also reduce load on existing substations impacted by development and growth in the area.
The transformer serving the new substation was recycled, which lowered the cost of the project. The rebuilt transformer is expected to last 30 to 40 years. Construction for Dorey Substation took nearly a year to complete and cost approximately $4.4 million.
DEC has plans to continue enhancing the system to provide reliable service to members and to keep up with growing load demand. An additional substation is slated to be built on Cedar Grove Road in Lewes and is still in the planning phase. The project will further reduce strain on power lines and equipment, enhance DEC’s ability to remotely restore power through automated devices in the field, and allow DEC to power the growing number of new homes and businesses in the beach areas.
—Report by Lauren Irby, Manager, Public Relations & Community Affairs Delaware Electric Cooperative