Albany Approves $388,800 Power Line Contract

Albany commissioners approved a contract to replace aging underground power lines after a copper-theft outage left about 1,800 customers without power.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Utilities

Isometric editorial illustration of coiled black power cable on a wooden spool beside blue conduit pipe in an open utility trench. — Albany commissioners approved a $388,800 contract to replace aging underground power lines after a copper-theft outage left about 1,800 customers without power. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Albany city commissioners approved a $388,800 contract to replace aging underground power lines across the city. The work follows an October 27 outage affecting roughly 1,800 customers, which stemmed from an intrusion into a substation and copper theft.

Why it matters

The Light Department faces a 20% to 25% vacancy rate among line workers, which is why the underground wire replacement was outsourced. The contract is part of a broader effort to harden the local grid against outages and theft.

The $388,800 contract is the fourth part of a five-year plan, and the city has invested roughly $6 million in grid upgrades over the past three years. Officials have not said when the underground line work will be completed.

The players

Kendall Hodge

Kendall Hodge is the Albany Utility Operations Director who explained that the October 27 outage stemmed from an intrusion and copper theft.

The details

A Buford, Georgia-based contractor will install new cables and protective piping, while Albany Utility Operations will supply the materials. The October 27 outage occurred after someone entered the substation and stole copper cable connected to critical components; the distribution system isolated the affected circuits to prevent further damage.

- Over the past three years: the city invested roughly $6 million in grid upgrades.
- Over the past two years: power outages were reduced by 9%.
- October 27, 2026: a substation copper theft caused an outage for about 1,800 customers.
- Next five years: another $30 million in grid upgrades is planned.

Market Landscape

The contract is the fourth phase of Albany's five-year Strategic Hardening Infrastructure Plan, extending a program that has already invested roughly $6 million in grid upgrades over three years. Because the plan remains in progress, the city's remaining $30 million in planned upgrades will determine how far the hardening effort reaches.

Albany residents may see crews working on underground lines as the replacement contract proceeds, and the city's ongoing upgrades aim to reduce the outages that affect households and businesses. The city's investment in grid hardening is intended to make power service more reliable for local customers.

The takeaway

Albany's grid upgrades show how a single theft can ripple into a citywide outage, which is why the city is pairing repairs with longer-term hardening. Residents can watch for scheduled line work in their neighborhoods as the five-year plan moves forward.