When the lights go out, it’s natural to assume the problem is on CHELCO’s electric system. However, not all outages originate on our distribution lines, especially those that impact thousands of members at once.

Transmission outages occur on the high-voltage lines that deliver electricity from our generation and transmission cooperative, PowerSouth, to CHELCO substations. If a transmission line is damaged, an entire substation can lose its power supply, impacting a large number of members. These lines are owned and maintained by PowerSouth, and repairs must be made by their crews before power can be restored to the substation.

Distribution outages occur on CHELCO’s local system, including substations, power lines, transformers, and other equipment that deliver electricity directly to homes and businesses. These outages are restored by CHELCO crews.

How We Respond
No matter where an outage originates, CHELCO works quickly to identify the cause and communicate updates. During transmission outages, our Operators coordinate closely with PowerSouth while exploring options such as back-feeding power from neighboring substations when possible. For distribution outages, CHELCO crews are dispatched to locate and repair the problem.

Whether the issue is on the transmission or distribution system, our goal remains the same: restoring power as quickly as possible.