Message from Andrew Sonsalla, Operations Manager at Slope Electric
As we look ahead into 2026, Slope Electric Cooperative is committed to bringing additional reliability and safety to our system. A team of engineers and operations employees from Slope Electric have thoughtfully planned to ensure seamless execution of the upcoming projects.
A few of these projects include cooperative infrastructure upgrades and maintenance, technology installation and service upgrades.
Infrastructure upgrades and maintenance
In late 2025, pole testing contractors wrapped up testing 6,095 utility poles in Slope Electric’s territory. Of the utility poles that were tested 217 need to be replaced. Crews will be working on replacing these utility poles throughout the coming months as weather allows.
Line crews will continue to patrol and maintain distribution and transmission lines and flag and update areas that need attention throughout the winter months.
Technology installation
A plan to install supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) compatible technology within Slope Electric’s substations has been diligently planned.
SCADA acts as a remote monitoring and control system within our substations, allowing for enhanced service throughout Slope Electric’s service area for isolating issues, outage detection and enhanced safety.
New services and upgrades
Throughout the year, our crews will continue to plan and install new services as well as complete service upgrades to meet member needs.
Whether you plan to build a new house, install a grain bin or have other plans that need electric services, be sure to call our office. By contacting us in the early stages of the planning process, we can help provide guidance and analyze your projected electric service requirements as well as service availability and potential costs.
Substation maintenance
In the spring, Slope Electric plans to begin working on replacing 14 miles of aged three-phase overhead power line with three-phase underground cable out of the New England Substation. Additionally, crews are planning to install 4 miles of new underground tie lines in three different locations from the New England and Cedar Butte substations. This tie line installation will allow for nearly 13 miles of aged overhead power line to be retired. Installing underground cable from substations helps enhance reliability to the system and members.
We would like to remind members to report outages by calling 800-559-4191. This information helps us assess where the cause of the outage may have originated.
Slope Electric continues to focus on the goal of providing safe, efficient, reliable service to our members and looks forward to serving you in 2026.