Black & Veatch (B&V; Overland Park, Kansas, U.S.) has completed the engineering, procurement and construction of four single-phase 500/230-kV autotransformers to the existing 500-kV and 230-kV switchyards at Pacific Gas & Electric's (PG&E; San Francisco, California, U.S.) Metcalf Substation in San Jose, California.

The Metcalf Transformer Bank 13 Addition Substation Project has increased PG&E's load capacity and reliability in the growing San Jose and San Francisco areas. Additionally, it has improved system reliability by reinforcing the existing banks, providing a safety net if another bank requires maintenance.

“The unique aspect of this project was the amount of switching and temporary circuit connections and reconnections that had to occur throughout the expansion project in an energized environment,” said Moy Basu, PG&E project manager. “The B&V/Overland Construction Inc. team coordinated all of these activities without a single outage incident or error. This is very important since the Metcalf Substation is a critical hub in the Bay area transmission system, as well as the high-tech Silicon Valley area.”

The project consisted of installing a third bulk power transformer bank with major modifications to the 500-kV and 230-kV switchyards. Throughout the project, the B&V/PG&E team, including subcontractor Tice Electric, achieved a nearly perfect safety record with about 50,000 hours worked and no lost work days. Project design began in July 2001, construction began in February 2002, and the Bank 13 energization was successfully completed on May 24, 2003.

“The Metcalf Transformer Bank 13 Addition is one of several projects meant to improve PG&E's overall power-delivery infrastructure,” said Al Tharnish, B&V project manager.

B&V was chosen for its ability to perform and complete complex projects on schedule and on budget. B&V delivered in both of these areas.
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