New transformer

Courtesy photo

NPPD crews and contractors wait for Tuesday's fog to clear so a new, 200 mWatt 203-ton transformer can be moved from Perry Grain west of McCook on a dirt road to the substation next to the old McCook Army Airbase north of McCook. The device arrived Sunday after a 45-day, 6,500-mile trip from Korea via ship, truck and rail. It will rest on six concrete footings, each four feet square, 34 feet deep and containing 18 cubic yards of concrete. The transformer, costing $4.7 million, will replace another unit approximately 37 years old and the entire project cost is estimated at $5.3 million, according to NPPD officials. The hauler has 96 wheels, eight mounted on each of 12 individually steerable axles.