Black & Veatch Implements Gas-Insulated Switchgear Technology

Black & Veatch Implements Gas-Insulated Switchgear Technology to Modernize Historical and Operating Switching Station

After a three-decade relationship, The United Illuminating Company (UI) selected Black & Veatch to provide the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for the modernization of UI’s existing Grand Avenue 115 kV switching facility in New Haven, Connecticut. Because the project is being built within an existing operating facility, there are numerous challenges associated with working around underground utilities, congested above-grade structures and energized equipment.

“Black & Veatch has built relationships with a lot of different members of the project team and knows who they need to go see to get information, and that’s an amazing help to me as a project manager,” said Elizabeth Gandza, UI Senior Project Manager.

The project reuses the limited space available on an existing facility through gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) technology. Aging equipment will be dismantled and removed, which will improve the overall view in the area. All work will be completed while the station remains energized, except for the planned outages necessary to cut over the seven transmission lines.

The project includes 12 circuit breakers configured in a breaker-and-a-half arrangement utilizing GIS technology. The modernization will upgrade the existing station to 63 kiloamperes (kA) and includes the relocation and interconnection of seven transmission lines. Two transmission lines are high pressure fluid-filled type cable, and one transmission line is low-pressure fluid-filled type cable.

The project was a collaboration of resources from Black & Veatch’s various substation, overhead transmission line and underground transmission line power delivery groups. Energy specialty groups were engaged from architecture, HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning), lighting, fire protection and geotechnical areas to design the building. Black & Veatch professionals from telecommunications were involved with security and substation automation design and coordination.