PacifiCorp is undertaking a major upgrade of the transmission and distribution system throughout metropolitan Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. In response to significant load growth and reliability concerns, PacifiCorp (Portland, Oregon, U.S.) launched the Wasatch Front Quantum Leap Project in 2002.

Wasatch Front refers to the geography of the region that extends along the western base of the Wasatch Mountains from Ogden to Provo, Utah. This region is home to Utah's famous ski resorts, which hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Quantum Leap signifies PacifiCorp's commitment to reinforce the Wasatch Front transmission and distribution system, including new construction or major modifications of 35 substations at voltages of 138/46/12.5 kV, installing or upgrading more than 65 miles (105 km) of 138-kV transmission line, and completing more than 72 distribution feeder projects.

To accomplish this significant scope of work on a highly compressed schedule, PacifiCorp packaged the work under an engineer, procure, construct (EPC) contract. Through a qualifications evaluation and competitive bidding process, PacifiCorp awarded the EPC contract to the Kenny Alliance Team, which consisted of Kenny Construction Co. (Wheeling, Illinois, U.S.), Sargent & Lundy, LLC (Chicago, Illinois) and Sturgeon Electric Co. (Salt Lake City).

Purpose and Scope

PacifiCorp serves more than 1.5 million customers in a service territory of 135,000 sq miles (350,00 sq km). In Oregon, Washington, Wyoming and California, PacifiCorp operates as Pacific Power, and as Utah Power in Utah and Idaho. The company merged with Scottish Power in 1999. The fastest load growth on the PacifiCorp system is in the Wasatch Front area. Recently, this growth has been exceeding earlier system planning projects. Studies conducted in the second quarter of 2002 recommended a step increase in network capacity to accommodate the high growth rate and electrical consumption, which resulted in the deployment of the Quantum Leap Project.

Load Growth

Studies by PacifiCorp in 2001 and early 2002 regarding land-use and temperature impacts on load growth provided confidence in the forecasted growth in demand along the Wasatch Front and at individual substations in that region. The peak system loads that occurred during the summer of 2002 confirmed these revised forecasts and justified the need for a step increase in capacity.

However, in extreme heat periods, demand can exceed the 5.4% expected annual growth. Such extremes could cause outages on the network because of the lack of spare capacity that existed at that time. As a result, PacifiCorp Network Planning began using weather sensitivity analysis in its load forecasting and planning practice. Each year, forecasts are adjusted with a temperature model to what the load would have been under normal and extreme temperatures. Extreme heat equates to a 1-in-20-year heat wave over normal summer peak temperatures, or about 10% additional peak demand, as shown by the solid red line in the figure. PacifiCorp decided that system improvements were required to provide capacity that is consistent with the red line, not just the normal peak loads indicated by the blue line.

Network Design Strategy

The strategy encompassed substation capacity increases and subtrans-mission infrastructure improvements to provide an average 10% increase in network capacity and to improve operational flexibility along the Wasatch Front. Individual feeder and substation capacity projects were identified to provide for an annual peak demand growth of 5.4% and to provide a margin to meet future unexpected demand due to extreme temperatures, equipment failures or other contingencies.

The program also included a reliability pilot to mitigate network component failures. This pilot included feeder sectionalizing, tie switches and various levels of distribution automation. Network planning studies were conducted to determine the locations of the new and upgraded substations, and transmission and distribution lines. These studies considered a 5- to 10-year time frame to provide a “blueprint” of the network and confirm the necessity of these short-term projects.

Another aspect of the growth in the Salt Lake City area is the increasing difficulty in acquiring substation sites and transmission line rights-of-way, as well as permits for construction. The Wasatch Front communities have differing requirements, including mandating underground construction of distribution feeders and features to improve the aesthetics of substations. Other concerns lie with the cost to construct the facilities and potential rate base increases.

Siting, Permitting and Property Acquisition

Network planning determined the specific locations where capacity increases were required and which of the existing substations needed capacity additions or voltage conversions, or where new substations would be constructed. Existing substation sites were evaluated for the degree of difficulty of acquiring additional property, if necessary, upgrading the transmission lines and distribution feeders and scheduling the outages. For new substations, potential sites were evaluated within a 1-mile (1.6-km) radius of existing transmission and distribution lines. All project locations were prioritized for completion to meet summer peak loads in June 2003 or June 2004. Several lower priority projects were scheduled for completion by the fall of 2004.

The magnitude of the Quantum Leap project resulted in a complex permitting process, which required obtaining conditional-use permits from several county and city jurisdictions with approvals from county commissioners and city councils. Transmission and distribution line crossings of roads, interstates, railroads and canals required permits from the Utah Department of Transportation, railroad companies and irrigation districts. As the projects proceeded through the design and construction phases, the Alliance Team monitored the work for compliance with the conditions of use authorized in the permits.

Once a substation site was selected, the process to acquire the property was initiated. In most cases, several suitable sites were identified to provide alternatives if difficulties were encountered with negotiations for the primary site. Appraisals were obtained for each property and the landowners were contacted. Negotiations proceeded until a site was procured. Each project involved researching the terms of existing easements, including obtaining new easements or securing perfected rights on existing easements as needed.

Engineering Considerations

• Substations

  There are three types of Quantum Leap substation projects: new “greenfield” substations, additions to the capacity of existing substations and voltage upgrades of existing substations. The new substations are generally 30-MVA 138-kV distribution substations. The capacity additions typically added 30 MVA to existing distribution substations. The voltage-upgrade projects were conversions of existing substations from 46 kV to 138 kV.

  The Kenny Alliance worked closely with PacifiCorp to optimize the cost and schedule for each substation project. Because several similar projects were being executed concurrently, standardization was the key to accomplishing this objective. Equipment was standardized as much as practical, including self-contained, prefabricated and automated substation switchgear manufactured by Pederson Power Products. Wherever possible, structures and foundations were standardized using PacifiCorp standard designs.

  Each of the new distribution substations was set up as an automated substation with a standard switchgear package. The switchgear package is a pre-assembled unit that includes the distribution switchgear, an enclosure, battery, battery charger, dc distribution panel, ac distribution panel, ventilation system, PLC/HMI and MAS racks, space for an additional panel for line protection, termination cabinet for external cable connection, lighting and raceway.

  Transformers, transrupters, switches and CCVTs were standardized to a large extent. All new transformers are 30 MVA. All switches are purchased from the same manufacturer, minimizing variations.

  Once the standardization approach was established, design issues for each project revolved around local interfaces, space limitations and PacifiCorp project-specific requirements. Local interface issues included conditional use requirements imposed by the local community, such as structure height restrictions, installation of decorative walls and landscaping, historic preservation, sidewalk improvements and construction of a bird watching area.

  The substation sites required provisions for ingress, egress and maneuvering of mobile transformers. Several projects had tightly constrained sites that required major modification of the standard substation configuration. Missing information on older existing substation design and equipment added to the challenge of the project.

  The layout of new substations was based on the ultimate configuration of the substation. The configuration includes two transformers, two switch-gear units and bus arrangement for either a loop-through transmission line or a four-breaker ring bus capable of accommodating three lines. The initial installation for most of the new substations includes one transformer, one switchgear unit and a loop-through line.

  Some of the existing substation expansions were similar to the new substation designs. Other projects involved the extension of existing box-type structures. By replicating a new substation layout template or replicating an existing structure, the design time was minimized.

• Transmission Lines

  More than 20 transmission line projects were completed as of March 2004. These projects involved new 138-kV construction and upgrades of existing lines from 46-kV to 138-kV. Many of the lines include 12-kV distribution underbuild and either OPGW or ADSS fiber-optic cables. The specific requirements for the design of each line corresponded to the capacity increase and/or voltage conversion at the substations located at the line terminations. Depending on the required ampacity of the line, conductor sizes and types range from 795 kcmil ACSR to 1557 kcmil AAC. The phase conductors were typically supported on polymer line post insulators.

  Generally, the goal is to design a horizontally compact line that maintains right-of-way and structure locations of the existing 46-kV lines for the rebuilt 138-kV circuits. Often, the transmission work entails cutting into existing lines to construct a loop in and out of a new or modified substation. Many of the projects required innovative engineering to design the transmission line interconnection to the substations within constrained property boundaries. The right-of-way conditions varied from heavily developed suburban locations to the rugged terrain of the Wasatch Mountain foothills.

  Wood poles were the structures of choice for most applications. However, steel poles were selected where dictated by the structure loads or where space constraints prohibited the installation of guy wires at line angles and deadends. With the steel poles, galvanized or paint coatings were used to suit community acceptance criteria. S&L developed the steel pole specifications and provided technical support to Sturgeon to purchase this material. S&L also designed concrete caisson foundations for the steel poles.

  PLS-CADD was used for transmission line design. The PacifiCorp PCRCMS material management system was used to generate standard transmission line assembly drawings and bills of material for use by Sturgeon to procure these items.

• Distribution Feeders

  More than 50 12-kV stand-alone distribution projects have been installed under the Quantum Leap contract. Feeders are installed overhead, underground or underbuilt on 138-kV transmission lines. A significant amount of coordination occurs between PacifiCorp and the Kenny Alliance to determine the sequence of construction for the distribution feeders to minimize any service interruptions.

Design of distribution circuits is accomplished by application of the PacifiCorp OMS mapping system and RCMS material database program. As the route of each feeder is defined, the RCMS software is used to develop a bill of material for each pole location.

Outage Coordination and Project Commissioning

Planning the sequence of work to complete the large number of concurrent projects involved in Quantum Leap with a minimum of service disruptions was a major undertaking. The commissioning manager collaborated with PacifiCorp's planning and dispatch personnel, as well as the Kenny Alliance Team's engineering and construction groups, to develop a work plan. This plan established the sequence of switching operations to take the affected transformers, transmission lines and distribution feeders out of service as necessary to complete the planned construction activities. Large customers, including hospitals and schools, were advised of the work and the efforts being made to minimize disruptions.

Multiple projects were underway simultaneously in many areas, and special attention was needed to evaluate several transformers, lines and feeders being switched out of service during the same period of time. In some cases, it was necessary to schedule the work at night when the load was the lowest.

Procurement and Construction Issues

A long lead-time procurement program facilitated the delivery times of the compressed schedule. Items were purchased well before the project started. Items with an eight- to 20-week lead-time were ordered and on hand when construction began.

The availability of qualified construction labor was a major concern when the Quantum Leap Project was being planned. Sturgeon Electric, the construction contractor for the Kenny Alliance Team, explored several options to ensure there were adequate resources. In cooperation with IBEW Local 57, information was communicated to all the union organizations that work was available for qualified journeyman lineman in the Salt Lake area. Lineman positions were also posted on a power lineman Web site. As a member of the MYR Group of companies, Sturgeon also had the capability to draw on the nationwide manpower resources of all subsidiaries of the corporation.

• Substation Construction Issues

  New “greenfield” substations have specific construction issues with site work. For example, the Coldwater Canyon and Saratoga Substations required approximately 32,500 and 25,000 cubic yards of fill material, respectively, to be imported and placed before actual substation construction could begin. At Coldwater Canyon, a collaborative agreement was reached with the community and the property owner to use material that was locally available to reduce transport costs.

  Many of the new greenfield sites required full or partial enclosure with concrete block or decorative walls to meet the permit requirements in the area. These walls often incorporated decorative iron gates for access to the site. Installing the landscaping mandated by the permits presented another hurdle in many cases. Several substations were completed when it was too cold to plant the specified species. At one site, planting was completed just for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Then the plants were removed, because it was too late in the season for them to survive through the Utah winter.

  Substation modification “brown-field” projects posed their own unique construction challenges. Transformer replacements at several existing substations also were complicated, because they required working around energized equipment and making field adjustments for the dimension differences between the old and new units.

• Transmission Line Construction Issues

  Urban transmission projects can always raise concerns with the local community. The South Jordan 138-kV Transmission Project was built in an upscale residential neighborhood in Salt Lake County. Steel-pole transmission structures were erected on easements in the backyards of this community. During this work, it was necessary to temporarily remove fencing, adjust landscaping and provide access to the structure sites that minimized unnecessary damage due to construction equipment.

Phase I of Quantum Leap was completed with the addition of 215 MVA of transformer capacity to the system in time for the 2003 summer peak load season. This included placing in service 13 substation, four transmission and 18 distribution feeder projects.

Phase II of Quantum Leap is now well underway. Engineering for the majority of projects scheduled for June 2004 energization has been completed, and construction of many of these projects is in progress. Additional work under the Kenny Alliance contract is currently planned with in-service dates scheduled into the third and fourth quarters of 2004.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge other key contributors in the Quantum Leap project: Randy Rhodes, manager network planning, PacifiCorp; Gerard Hassler, project manager, Power Division, Kenny Construction Co.; and Terry Roberts, western regional manager, Sturgeon Electric Co.

Curtis Mansfield was appointed managing director of T&D support services at PacifiCorp in June 2004. In this capacity, he is responsible for PacifCorp's vegetation management, transportation, logistics, distribution mapping, pole test and treat programs, joint use, tools and rubber goods testing facilities. Prior to that, he was the managing director of the Quantum Leap Project. He has more than 22 years of experience with PacifiCorp, including positions as director of regional dispatch, customer service director and operation manager.

Karl Miller is a registered professional engineer with more than 20 years of experience on electric power industry projects, including serving as the Kenny Alliance project director for the PacifiCorp Quantum Leap Projects. He initiated development of the Kenny Construction Co.'s Power Group, where he is responsible for all aspects of power industry work, including design, procurement, construction, testing and commissioning of generating station and T&D projects.
KMiller@KennyConstruction.com

Ken Simpson has more than 25 years of experience in engineering and management of transmission system projects. He has managed substation and transmission projects for Sargent & Lundy's clients throughout the country. Simpson has written numerous articles and papers on transmission system issues, and has provided expert testimony at hearings pertaining to transmission line licensing and power system litigation cases. He is a registered professional engineer in numerous states.
kenneth.d.simpson@sargentlundy.com

The Kenny Alliance Team Specifics

A project such as Quantum Leap requires a collaborative effort from the owner, engineer, suppliers and contractors. The Kenny Alliance Team proposed this type of approach to PacifiCorp, with all work to be performed on an open-book basis. A master agreement was executed, which included the overall commercial terms and conditions for the entire outsourced Quantum Leap project. Individual work orders are issued by PacifiCorp to authorize each substation and T&D project.

Kenny Construction Co. serves as the general contractor and program manager for the Kenny Alliance Team. Kenny performs overall project management, cost and schedule control, procurement of major equipment and material, administration of subcontracts and invoicing. Sargent & Lundy, LLC performs engineering and design work, coordinates outage and commissioning plans, provides technical support for permitting and material and equipment procurement, and provides construction quality assurance services. Sturgeon Electric Co. performs the construction and procures the balance of material and equipment. A support organization resides within PacifiCorp's Quantum Leap program office, which supports all activities directly related to the EPC contract.

The Kenny Alliance Team mobilized a project management team, an engineering interface team and a commissioning manager at PacifiCorp's Salt Lake City engineering offices. These groups work closely with PacifiCorp personnel to gather information, develop the scope of work and budgets for each project, coordinate schedules, support land acquisition and permitting activities, and keep PacifiCorp's project manager continually advised on the status of work.

The Kenny Alliance Team introduced a challenge process to provide a forum to evaluate issues and optimize each project, incorporating design enhancements, construction efficiencies and lessons learned from the previous projects. This process is particularly beneficial for this kind of contract, where PacifiCorp is authorizing a large group of projects to be completed over an extended period of time.

Highlights of the significant lessons learned during the first phase of Quantum Leap that contributed to the successful accomplishment of these projects include:

• Maintain a fully collaborative process.

• Involve all owner stakeholders in the challenge process.

• Standardize processes to the full extent possible.

• Evaluate the impact of proposed modifications on total project costs.

• Initiate land acquisition for projects as early as possible.