Duke Energy Florida opened its new Bayboro electrical substation to meet the power needs of downtown St. Petersburg.

The substation is a gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) substation. It is the first in Florida constructed by Duke Energy and was placed in service on November 29, the company said in a press release.

The GIS substation is also built to protect the environment with a feature to capture potential spills and help prevent impacts to the surrounding area. The overall footprint is approximately 35% smaller than the previous adjacent substation.

With increased redundancies to help reduce outages, the newly constructed substation should meet the increasing demand for power in this fast-growing community and improve reliability for downtown St. Petersburg and surrounding areas.

The substation supports critical infrastructure including the University of South Florida’s St. Peterburg campus, All Children’s Johns Hopkins and Bayfront hospitals, Tropicana Field and numerous buildings and high-rises.

“We work hard on behalf of our customers to ensure safe, reliable, cleaner energy,” said Duke Energy Florida President Melissa Seixas. “We are leveraging innovative technology across our Florida service territory to upgrade the energy grid and increase resiliency and energy efficiency for our customers.”

Source: T&D World