The opening of an Aldi supermarket in East Ellijay could be delayed due to the unavailability of a crucial piece of equipment needed to supply power to the store.
A three-phase transformer, which is used by larger facilities, will be needed to suit the store’s electrical consumption. Georgia Power has told the company it would take up to 78 weeks to get that type of transformer, noted Public Safety Director Larry Callahan, who handles permitting and code enforcement for East Ellijay.
“You’re looking at around a year-and-a-half. We tried to make some calls and Georgia Power told us the same thing, that there’s not any of them available,” he added.
The equipment shortage comes as more commercial construction is planned for the graded area just off Highway 515 near where the grocery store is going up. Piedmont Healthcare recently announced plans to build a two-story medical office building with a new 24/7 emergency department just down the highway.
“Everybody (needing that type of equipment) is having this problem. Piedmont is concerned. They’re already looking into it,” Callahan said.
Amicalola EMC, which also supplies power to some of East Ellijay’s businesses, is also experiencing similar long wait times for transformers and other equipment including rubber molded products, confirmed Tim Jordan, AEMC manager of support services.
Jordan said AEMC’s lead time for three-phase transformers is currently around 100 weeks.
“This is something we’ve experienced since the beginning of COVID-19, and it has lingered on. It seems to be an industrywide problem, not one that’s specific to our area,” he added.
According to a 2023 report in Utility Contractor Magazine, the transformer shortage stems from a few factors including factory shutdowns and supply chain delays during the COVID pandemic followed by heightened construction demand. Many distribution-level transformers are also manufactured overseas, making them more prone to delays and supply chain disruptions, that report also stated.
Callahan said the Aldi team is looking at other options to get power up and running so the store can open, but those options may end up being more expensive than using the hard-to-get transformer.
“There’s been some discussion about if there’s a way to do three single phase transformers, but evidently it’s not quite as simple as it sounds. It’s something an engineer would have to figure out,” he added.
Prior to this issue, Aldi had been looking at opening the new store this spring, possibly as early as March.
“The building has essentially been completed. If they had power, I think we’d be looking at an opening pretty soon,” said Callahan.