Eaton’s scope of work for the project includes replacement of the facilities’ switchgear, which was originally installed in the 1960’s upon initiation of plant operation. Eaton will also upgrade the electrical controls and cabling and provide temporary electrical equipment to support the plants’ critical loads during the installation.
The three hydroelectric facilities are responsible for generating and transferring electricity when the California’s Central Valley Project (CVP) reaches peak demand. The CVP is one of the country’s major water conservation developments, built to protect California’s Central Valley from water shortages.
“A vast percentage of California relies on the CVP for the constant supply of residential and industrial water,” said Jim Dankowski, manager, Marketing and Business Development, Government Sales and Solutions, Eaton. “Switchgear is directly linked to the reliability of electrical supply and aging units can represent an obstacle to reliable and efficient on demand switching of electrical loads. Eaton’s modernizations will help the CVP meet peak requirements well into the future.”
The facilities’ electrical systems are designed to be triggered by peak demands to provide safe, reliable and clean electricity to the pump stations responsible for the distribution of reclaimed water. The remaining energy is then marketed to various customers in California.
Eaton’s Electrical Service and Systems division will replace the facilities’ equipment with Magnum DS Switchgear, an assembly of metal enclosures, each of which houses draw-out mounted, low voltage power circuit breakers. Eaton’s Magnum DS Switchgear has the highest withstand ratings in the industry, enhancing uptime and equipment protection. The plants’ systems will also rely on the Eaton ATC-600, a programmable microprocessor-based monitoring device, for the on demand energizing of the plants’ hydroelectric generating capabilities.
