Sometimes, routine projects become anything but routine.
In May of 2021 an independent power producer requested a turnkey solution to install a 69kV breaker for isolating an existing Combustion Turbine transformer. The existing breaker resided in a remote utility owned substation that was being decommissioned. The base project included engineering, installation, testing, and commissioning of the new SF6 breaker to be completed during a scheduled 2022 outage window. This included relocating an existing dead-end structure, and all associated rigging, excavation, and concrete work.
In 2022 the protective relaying scheme and fiber for the control portion was awarded; which involved trenching, excavation, a new relay panel, system integration, testing, and commissioning. All the associated installation and testing was to occur during the same outage window scheduled to begin in mid-May of 2022 and to be completed at the end of that outage in mid-June.
Material lead time challenges and supply chain issues have become common place in today's world, and these had to be navigated with flexibility and ongoing design adjustments had to be adopted to ensure the outage dates were met and the project was completed on schedule. With the utility substation being decommissioned there couldn’t be any delays to the schedule. With manufacturer lead times extending well beyond the scheduled outage window, some parts needed to be sourced through equipment resellers and the materials that were available drove many decisions which required ongoing design changes.
Once the protective relay scheme was developed, and approved, a relay cabinet was designed, built, and installed by EnerG Test to interface with the existing turbine control system and the utility. Having the capability to design and build the panel inhouse helped ensure the flexibility needed to adapt to design changes while remaining on schedule.
Concurrently, with the new concrete pad in place and the outage underway, the existing 69kV lines were dropped, the dead-end structure relocated, the breaker set, grounding tied in, and all the interconnection and control connections landed.
The test plan and commissioning schedule was reviewed with both the customer and the utility, and the schedule coordinated with final testing being performed and witnessed at the end of the outage. Everything went according to plan and operated as expected.
If not for the now “normal” supply chain issues and material availability challenges, the project would have been routine but, as a result, the project proved much more interesting due to the material challenges and required design changes, and the value of a team approach was apparent and ensured the project was completed on schedule with high customer satisfaction and a job well done by all!
Throughout the project the team worked diligently to overcome every obstacle, they faced each new challenge, and partnered with the customer to discuss options and ensure the completion of the project was on time and to the customer’s satisfaction.
When routine becomes anything but routine, partnering with an organization that can supply a turnkey solution, handling everything from engineering to installation and testing and the capability to provide a wide array of services, including engineering and design, high voltage work, fiber, controls, and NETA testing helps ensure overall success when faced with today’s supply chain challenges.