Electricity in Whigham will be shut off on Sunday night

The 293 electric customers served by the City of Whigham will be temporarily inconvenienced Sunday evening, May 1, when power for the entire city will be shut off, according to Mayor George Trulock.
“This is kind of late notice, but we were just notified late Monday,” the Whigham mayor said.
The Georgia Power line that serves Whigham is being shut down at 8 p.m. Sunday and incoming power will be shifted to one of two larger lines that run north of Whigham, according to Trulock.
“To make that switch, the power will have to be shut off for 10 minutes or so. We are telling folks 20 to 30 minutes to be safe. We apologize for any inconvenience, but it should be only temporary,” the mayor said.
Mayor Trulock reported that Utility Director Josh Ausburn and crewman Israel Kirkland are continuing to work on upgrading power lines within the city and replacing transformers with dual voltage transformers that can accommodate 4,000 volts and 12,000 volts.
“This work is something that has been needed for years. Whigham is probably the only 4,000 volt system in the state. It is obsolete and needs to be replaced. We are going to a 12,000 volt system. Once the transition is complete in the next 12 months, we should have less line loss, which means we waste less electricity and are more efficient. It should help us hold down power costs in the future. Pennies make dollars,” Mayor Trulock said.
The transition to a 12,000 volt system should also eliminate dimming of lights during heavy loads, such as when an air conditioner switches on, the mayor said.