The Gold Coast Airport Pty Ltd. (GCAPL) has experienced an average annual growth rate in passenger movements of 16% over the past five years. With this expansion comes greater energy consumption to service the growth, and the airport's existing oil-filled feeder recloser was beginning to show its age. While the unit was upgradeable, parts were becoming more and more difficult to obtain, and lockouts due to higher loads and faults meant a newer, more flexible option was needed to improve reliability of supply.

GCAPL management wanted a unit that was both suitable to the local conditions and had a low environmental impact potential. Using latest-generation vacuum interrupting technology, the NOJA Power (www.nojapower.com) OSM Recloser achieved GCAPL of low environmental impact by eliminating the use of oil. The OSM tank and control cubicle are manufactured using stainless steel, and the tank bushings are high-pollution rated, making the unit ideal for coastal applications.

To avoid disruption to the airport's internal power network, the old recloser was removed and the new unit was installed using live-line techniques where the 11-kV supply was maintained throughout the installation.

Taking power off-line was never an option at the airport. Protection settings for the new recloser were designed and programmed beforehand.