Little by little

The electric distribution system infrastructure that crawls throughout the Coopersa electric cooperative service territory in the Alta Verapaz department (similar to a state in the U.S.) of Guatemala powers the homes and businesses in seven communities. But that infrastructure hasn’t delivered electricity for more than two years because the hydro generator that produces the electricity has been broken.

Four Indiana electric cooperative lineworkers have been in the region since Friday, Aug. 8, to bring the infrastructure back to life. To do that, they have “run out” approximately 20 miles of primary distribution system line little by little to inspect for damage and make repairs along the way. The local cooperative’s lineworkers have already inspected about 20 miles of the secondary line, and the Indiana crew members will inspect another 20 miles of secondary line.

The lineworkers identified a breaker and some fuses that need to be replaced before the line can be re-energized. Those compatible parts should arrive in the remote, mountainous region by mid-week. Once those parts are replaced, the crew will light up sections of the system little by little, one transformer at a time — all two dozen of them. The goal is to have the whole cooperative re-energized before the Indiana crew members leave at the end of the week.