Sioux Falls, partners “Flip the Switch” on Circuit 13

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Sioux Falls City Light and Power celebrated the completion of its Circuit 13 project with a special “flipping the switch” ceremony July 29, alongside its construction partners and energy provider Heartland Energy. City Light and Power is the electric utility of the city of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Circuit 13 is a new, 5.5-mile underground electrical circuit that supplies power from the city’s substation on north Minnesota Avenue to the Water Reclamation Plant, Public Safety Campus, and future Light, Power, and Traffic building in northeastern Sioux Falls. Circuit 13 provides a triple layer of redundant power for the three campuses, all of which provide critical services to Sioux Falls and the region.

“Our mission as a Public Works team is to deliver safe and reliable utilities to the people of Sioux Falls and the surrounding region,” said Mark Cotter, Director of Public Works for the City of Sioux Falls. “This project is an important investment in that mission while creating critical redundancies and efficiencies for our team.”

In addition to serving city campuses, the Circuit 13 project also serves the future growth area at the Sioux Falls Regional Airport and replaced an underground circuit that supplies power to the city water wells north of Sioux Falls.

The project was made possible through a partnership with Heartland Energy, a nonprofit, wholesale power supplier based in Madison, South Dakota. The city will utilize Heartland’s Energy ONE Incentive Program to power the Water Reclamation Plant, Public Safety Campus, and Light, Power, and Traffic building.

The Energy ONE Incentive Program is designed to facilitate growth and development by providing a special energy-only rate for new loads with a demand of one megawatt or larger. Heavy electricity users typically pay a separate demand charge to always have energy capacity available to them.

“The Energy ONE Incentive is designed to give large users of electricity stability in their electric bills,” said Russell Olson, CEO of Heartland Energy. “We are proud to partner with Sioux Falls on this project, powering essential new facilities crucial to the future growth and success of the city.”

City Light and Power is one of four public utilities provided by the City of Sioux Falls. City Light and Power serves electricity to about 3,000 residential and commercial customers, half of which are public buildings, in the central and northern areas of Sioux Falls. Public buildings served include City Hall, City Center, Downtown Library, Denny Sanford Premier Center, Washington Pavilion, Water Purification Plant, Law Enforcement Center, and several public school buildings.

The City of Sioux Falls’ utilities, including City Light and Power, Water Reclamation, Water Purification, and the Sioux Falls Regional Landfill, are funded by customer rates that pay for the operations and maintenance of each utility.