221 - NASA Substation: Operational Electrical Substation in the United States

221 - NASA Substation is an operational electrical substation located in the United States, owned and operated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The facility serves as a key node in the local power grid, providing voltage transformation between 138 kV and 13.8 kV to support NASA's mission-critical operations. The substation operates under the regulatory framework of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), ensuring compliance with reliability standards for transmission-level assets. As a substation owned by a federal agency, it likely adheres to additional security and operational protocols specific to government facilities. The facility's location near NASA's Johnson Space Center in Texas underscores its role in supporting space exploration and research activities. Its dual voltage levels indicate it serves both high-voltage transmission and local distribution needs, contributing to grid stability in the region.

The substation is situated in a coastal region of Texas, near Galveston Bay, which is prone to hurricanes and tropical storms. This environmental context necessitates robust infrastructure design to withstand extreme weather events and ensure continuous power supply to critical NASA operations. The facility's location in a developed area with mixed industrial and residential land use means it must balance operational reliability with environmental considerations such as electromagnetic field management and stormwater runoff.