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Plainville System Upgrades & Power Outage Clarification

Thursday | August 7, 2025
All News

Western Cooperative Electric is committed to delivering safe, reliable electric service to our members across the region. We want to take a moment to update our members in Plainville on two recent events that may have affected their service and to provide context and reassurance about the work being done.

Alleyway Service Upgrades

Over the past several weeks, our crews have been working diligently in the area extending from West Mill Street to SW 3rd Street, specifically on the west side of South Cochran and the east side of South Colorado. This project involved upgrading aging service wires located in the alleyways. The goal of this investment is simple: to increase the long-term reliability and performance of the electric system serving these homes and businesses.

We understand this work has caused some inconvenience for residents directly along these routes. We sincerely apologize for the disruption and appreciate your patience as we complete these much-needed improvements. This upgrade was a critical step in preventing future outages and ensuring a more stable power supply for years to come.

Unplanned Power Outage – August 1st

On August 1st, a temporary outage occurred that impacted all members fed from the Plainville City Substation. We want to emphasize that this outage was not caused by any action taken by Western Cooperative Electric.

The interruption occurred during scheduled testing of a 34.5 kV breaker at the 115 kV Plainville Substation, which is part of the larger transmission network we rely on. During the process, a fault in a piece of equipment caused the breaker to open unexpectedly. As a result, further testing was required, and a faulty control cable on the breaker had to be identified and replaced.

While this was an unplanned and highly unusual situation, Western responded quickly to coordinate with our transmission partners and restore power as safely and efficiently as possible. We understand how disruptive outages can be, and we thank you for your understanding during this event.

Our Commitment to You

We want to reassure our members that when Western schedules planned outages, our Member Services team and linemen make every effort to communicate directly with those who will be affected—either by phone, in person, or through notices. We know how vital electricity is to your daily life and business operations, and we don’t take any outage—planned or unplanned—lightly.

At Western Cooperative Electric, our mission is to provide safe, reliable, and responsive service to every member we serve. Thank you for your continued support and trust in our team.

For more information, please contact Member Services Manager: Christina Hayes at chayes@westerncoop.com.

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Contact Info

Western Cooperative Electric 
635 S. 13th St.
P.O. Box 278
WaKeeney, KS 67672

Outages: 800-456-6720
Office: 785-743-5561

Email: Western@Westerncoop.com

 

 

About Us

Western Co-op is a member-owned cooperative dedicated to delivering safe, affordable, and reliable power.

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  • My Account
    • Billing
      • SmartHub
      • Rate Tariffs
      • Understanding Your Bill
      • Update your account info
    • Payment
      • Ways to Pay Your Bill
      • Cold Weather Rule
      • Deferred Payment Plan
      • PrePay Power
    • Service
      • Start/Stop Service
      • Outages & Emergencies
      • Sales Tax Exemption
      • Renewables
  • Member Services
    • Communications
      • Kansas Country Living
      • News
      • Communication Alerts
    • Community
      • Sharing Success Community Grants
      • Youth Scholarship
      • Youth Tour
      • Rebates
      • Revolving Loan Fund
      • Rural Economic Development Fund
      • Operation Round-up
      • Western Cares
      • Co-op Connections
      • About Touchstone Energy
      • W.O.R.K. Scholarship
  • My Cooperative
    • About Us
      • Board of Trustees
      • Our Story
      • About Us
      • Careers
      • Our Locations
      • Contact us
    • General Info
      • Board Meeting Minutes
      • Board of Trustees Election Process and Responsibilities
      • Annual Meeting
      • Co-op Bylaws
      • Rules and Regulations
      • Rate Study & Design
  • My Resources
    • Safety
      • Safety at Western
        • General Safety
        • Grain Bin Clearance
        • Lineworker Safety
        • Tree Trimming
      • Electrical Safety
        • Safety Checklist
        • Safety Quiz
      • Storm Center
      • Wildfire Mitigation
    • Education
      • Touchstone Energy Savings
      • Understanding Demand
      • Safety Demo
      • Emergency Responders
      • Aircraft Wire Strikes
      • Avoiding Scams
    • FAQs
      • PrePay Power FAQ
      • AMI Meters
      • Capital Credits
      • Winter Storm Uri
  • Contact Us