Recently, these shrubs were planted along the boundary of the substation that faces the Spirit Trail.
The construction of Consumer Energy’s new substation at the west end of the lake is now complete, but not “plugged in.” Once one of the substation’s circuits is powered up, it will begin serving those on “both north and south of Clark Lake,” according to a CE spokesman.
Although there are high towers with electrical lines running parallel with Hyde Road (easily visible from Lions Park and the Spirit Trail), the substation will not be powered from those lines. Rather, the substation’s power will come from lines on the wooden poles. It arrives at 46,000 volts and goes out to the area at 4800 volts.
The proximity of the new substation to residences on the lake should add to reliability under the theory that lines coming from a substation that is closer are less likely to be threatened by natural forces, like falling trees, interrupting the electrical path.
The new substation is located at the end of Vining Street and is adjacent to Lions Park and the portion of the Spirit Trail that runs parallel with Hyde Road.
