THE APEX TIMES
Campton outage continues after transformer malfunctions, utility says damage assessment ongoing
Officials say the City of Campton is without power while electrical crews investigate problems involving Wolfe County substation transformers and replacement equipment.
The City of Campton is experiencing a power outage with the length of the disruption still undetermined, according to City Councilmember Jake Denniston. The outage is tied to a malfunction involving the county’s electrical transformer infrastructure, and utility crews have been working to diagnose the problem and determine whether additional damage occurred.
Denniston said the first transformer malfunctioned around 2:05 a.m. Sunday. By about 11:30 a.m., a second electrical transformer had been installed to replace the original, but the replacement transformer also malfunctioned, prolonging the outage in the area.
A statement posted on social media by Licking Valley Rural Electrical Cooperative said the organization is working alongside East Kentucky Power to determine whether any damage occurred in the substation. The cooperative also said another electrical transformer has been ordered as part of the effort to restore service.
In its update, the cooperative acknowledged that recovery could remain uncertain, calling it a “moving target” and saying members in Wolfe County were “suffering” in the heat. The message said the utilities are continuing monitoring while work proceeds to fix the problem.
At the time of the report, it remained unclear when power would be restored to Wolfe County and the city services dependent on the electrical grid. LEX 18 said the story is ongoing and would provide additional information as it becomes available.
Residents and local institutions affected by the outage are awaiting further updates from the utilities and city officials. The immediate focus remains on confirming substation conditions, assessing whether additional components were damaged, and completing installation of a functioning transformer to restore electricity safely.
Why It Matters
- Extended power outages can disrupt public services, communications, and everyday safety needs, especially during hot-weather conditions.
- Because the first replacement transformer also malfunctioned, restoration depends on assessing equipment and substation status rather than simply switching to backup hardware.
- Families and local institutions in Wolfe County rely on timely utility updates to plan around cooling, medical needs, and power-dependent operations.
- The costs and scheduling implications of ordering additional transformer equipment can affect the timing of repairs and the likelihood of further service interruptions until installation is complete.
- The situation highlights the importance of coordinated utility investigation when multiple components fail within a short period.
Key Facts
- The City of Campton is without power, with the restoration timeline undetermined.
- City Councilmember Jake Denniston said the transformer malfunctioned around 2:05 a.m. Sunday.
- Denniston said a replacement transformer was installed at about 11:30 a.m., but the second transformer malfunctioned as well.
- Licking Valley Rural Electrical Cooperative said it is working with East Kentucky Power to determine whether any substation damage occurred.
- The cooperative said another electrical transformer has been ordered.
- The utilities said they are continuing monitoring as they work to fix the outage.