CHELCO recently completed a major reliability project for Eglin Air Force Base’s (AFB) Duke Field by successfully transferring electrical load to the nearby Duke Field substation. Until now, the field had been served from a substation 14 miles away.

The effort traces back to March 2019, when the project was first submitted as a Future Capital Upgrade. Although the need had been identified earlier, formal approval and funding were obtained from the Air Force Civil Engineering Center (AFCEC). Progress accelerated in September 2024, when updated load projections secured the remaining funding needed to move forward with the substation upgrade.

Once construction began, the work was extensive. During a single, scorching summer weekend in 2023, CHELCO crews upgraded and rerouted key lines to prepare for the transition. Additional infrastructure improvements continued over the following months, culminating in the successful transfer of Duke Field’s electrical load to the Duke Field substation on Feb. 21, 2026.

The benefits of the transfer were immediate and significant, strengthening the resiliency of Duke Field’s power supply. 

“The reliability improvement for Duke Field will be significant, and that was always the goal,” said Rocky Hudson, CHELCO’s Director of Engineering & Operations on Eglin AFB. “This doesn’t happen without the sustained efforts of the 96th Civil Engineering Group Energy Office, CHELCO’s design technicians, linemen, and everyone who touched this project along the way. This one was a long time coming, and it’s a testament to what good teams can accomplish when they don’t give up.”