Peabody to build new power station

PEABODY-South Peabody will soon house a new electrical switching station, said Russell Dunn, assistant general manager of the Municipal Light Plant.Located off Summit on a parcel of land purchased from Eastman Gelatin, the new $3 million, fully enclosed metal building will bring power to all of South Peabody and the Centennial Park area.Dunn said the building will be nestled far back on the lot, making it nearly impossible to see from the street through the trees. All equipment would be housed in doors so as to “keep a low profile.”?It?s similar to an electrical sub station, but the only difference is there won?t be any transformers,” said Dunn. “It will allow us to provide power to the areas nearby, which increases reliability and reduces the number and hours of outages.”Peabody currently has two other switching stations, the last built on Warren Street in 2003. The future station could serve as a back up in case of a power failure with the other two.?We?d be in excellent shape if a failure would be to take place somewhere else,” said Dunn.The plan was conceived seven years ago, but with the large load growth, Dunn said earlier this month was the perfect time to begin construction. He expects the contractor State Electric to complete the project by December.