Grid modernization program at CPS Energy
Burns & McDonnell said that CPS Energy has selected its firm as program manager for a 4-year grid modernization program.
Image source: Power Grid International
USA, Texas, San Antonio: Burns & McDonnell said that CPS Energy has selected its firm as program manager for a 4-year grid modernization program.
The company will improve service quality for the utility’s nearly 850,000 electricity customers.
The goal of the grid modernization initiative is to help reduce the frequency and duration of power outages, reduce storm impacts and restore service faster when outages occur.
Burns & McDonnell will serve as engineer and construction manager as CPS Energy launches its Accelerated Recloser Deployment Program, which calls for installation of approximately 144 recloser devices and an additional 300 TripSavers each year on distribution lines throughout the city. Recloser counts will increase throughout the life of the program.
The firm will provide planning, engineering design, testing, installation / construction and commissioning of the recloser and TripSaver devices on a turnkey basis. CPS Energy will be responsible for equipment and materials procurement.
Often used in place of conventional fuses, reclosers test whether faults are temporary and, if so, can restore power quickly with very little detectible interruption. The devices are designed to automatically open, interrupting electrical current when a fault occurs, and then automatically reclose to detect if the fault is still present.
“We are incredibly excited and humbled by the trust extended to us by CPS Energy,” says Leslie Duke, president and general manager Burns & McDonnell offices in the B region. “This is an investment that will pay dividends many times over for the residents of San Antonio, and we are excited to deliver on this ground-breaking opportunity.”
B, part of Burns & McDonnell, will perform all planning activities for specific substations where analysis of distribution grid identifies the need and placement for equipment down to the individual circuits.
Once installed, the firm’s supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and technical field services (TFS) teams in Houston will be handling the final phase of testing and commissioning of the equipment and bringing it online for CPS Energy.
Source: Power Grid International