Phoenix is growing – rapidly. But that is not the only challenge facing the electricity grids of the metropolis in the middle of the Sonoran Desert in the US state of Arizona. At a whopping 46.7 degrees Celsius (116 degrees Fahrenheit), a new temperature record was measured in the city of millions this year. It's not just the air conditioning systems that are running hot. The demand for water is also growing. And in the drought-stricken desert city, water has to be laboriously brought in from the Colorado River via canals and processed into drinking water using a lot of electrical energy.

With almost 3,900 hours of sunshine a year, Phoenix is one of the sunniest cities in the world. So it's no wonder that the city is also one of the top US cities in terms of solar power production. In 2022, over 340 MW of solar power was fed into the grid there – and the trend continues to rise sharply.

"Phoenix's demand for electricity is growing exponentially," says Steve Spragg, who is responsible for the western region at Reinhausen USA. In order to make the Maricopa substation, 20 kilometers from Phoenix, fit for these growing demands, the operator ED3 decided to demolish the old facility and have it completely rebuilt.

Spragg's construction company for substations, formerly ESS, has been fully integrated into the Reinhausen Group since 2016 and therefore benefits from MR's high-quality equipment and expertise. Spragg and his team coordinated the entire project in Maricopa, from demolition to completion.

For the work on the substation, the entire station was temporarily disconnected from the power supply during the off-season. After demolition, all structural adjustments were made first, followed by the installation of the electrical systems. Because the substation is indispensable for the region, Spragg and his team had to be quick and showed total commitment: "We invested a number of Saturdays and got the project through in around six months." ED3 Assistant General Manager Mike Bristol is also delighted: "With their knowledge and experience in the field of substation construction, we could be sure that our project would be carried out properly and that quality would never be compromised."

"We are delighted that we were able to play our part in ensuring a reliable energy supply in the region," says Spragg. Bristol is also thrilled: "Spragg and his team have proven time and again that they have the necessary skills, knowledge and reliability to successfully implement such complex projects from start to finish."