North America | February 4, 2022

Avista utilities upgrades Iconic 1910 hydropower substation

USA: Avista was founded on clean, reliable hydropower on the banks of the Spokane River in 1889, and still makes up more than 50 % of the portfolio.

 

Image for illustration purposes

USA: Avista was founded on clean, reliable hydropower on the banks of the Spokane River in 1889, and still makes up more than 50 % of the portfolio.

It serves more than 400,000 electric customers in eastern Washington and northern Idaho.

Avista, based in Spokane, Washington, owns and operates six hydroelectric facilities on the Spokane River, five of which have been operational since 1908. We maintain many historic buildings that are not only vital to delivering power to our customers but also hold a significant place in our city’s history and iconic skyline.

Today, the substation is still used as an integral part of delivering renewable, reliable power to the customers though the technology has changed over the last 100 years. But with longevity come the need to upgrade. In this case the cooling system to the four large power transformers located inside the Post Street Substation.

Since these transformers are located inside the substation within fire containment enclosures, they did not have air movement for cooling purposes. The transformers were previously cooled by cycling Spokane River water or city water through a heat exchanger on the transformers. While it was an efficient means of cooling these transformers, it did transfer slightly warmer water back into the river.

With those goals identified, engineering and design began with Avista engineers and Delta Star, the company which manufactured the transformers. Under a design-build contract, Delta Star provided the technical expertise and professional engineering services for engineering, materials and field service required to retrofit two upper-level substation transformers and two lower-level generation transformers’ cooling systems.

Today, six Avista-owned hydroelectric facilities on the Spokane River and two on the Clark Fork River in Idaho and Montana provide nearly half of Avista’s diverse energy mix which includes water, wind, biomass, natural gas, solar and coal.

Source: T&D World