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Saint George Electrical System Study, April 1989
I ENE 145 polarconsult alaska, inc. ENGINEERS - SURVEYORS - ENERGY CONSULTANTS 1503 WEST 33RD AVENUE - SUITE 310 ANCHORAGE, ALASKA 99503 TELEFAX: (907) 258-2419 - PHONE: (907) 258-2425 Alaska Energy Authority LIBRARY COPY aactic OCEAN Saint George Electrical System Study April 1989 — oon : Prepared for: Alaska Power Authority . a 701 E Tudor Road oe sg Anchorage, Alaska 99503 Seniesa i U ae the, ody ; es f eee t% Re St George AB uur OF ALASKA ae ee ane Ra 3 a3" us ay ENE 4S polarconsult EXECUTIVE SUMMARY St George, an all American City, located on one of the Pribilof Islands has a population of 195 people. The City was turned over to the people by the Federal Government in 1983. Since that time, the Federal Government has made it illegal to harvest seals which was the main source of income for the Islanders. Recently, the community has constructed a harbor, dredging finishes this fall, and a road across the island as a means of providing services to the bottom fish- ing industry. The Federal Government also turned over a old antiquated power system to the community. This system serves 77 cus- tomers and has a system peak of about 150 kW. Power costs to the consumer are the third highest in the State. Based on surveys of the power system by IECO and last fall by Polarconsult, the distribution system in the village has considerable number of code violations and is unsafe. Very bad salt water corrosion has damaged the system. In addition to the system being unsafe, the majority of it is over aged, built in 1951 and earlier, and there are very large losses occurring which equal almost 38% of the kilowatts sold. A new modern distribution system would cost about $258,800 and would save about $132,000 present worth in losses based on current fuel costs. United Telephone Utilities has to construct a telephone link from the village to the harbor and the airfield to serve those facilities. They are willing to share in the cost of electrically tieing the two sides of the island together so their cable can be laid in a common ditch. When large scale power plants are constructed for the onshore processors at the harbor, the tie will result in decreased power costs for St George. Since the village has to put in a generation sys- tem at the harbor in the interim for wells, sewer, salt wa- ter supply, lights, shore power and housing it makes sense to make the tie. The estimated cost of this one time oppor- tunity is $330,500 without help from the telephone utility. Should St George not construct the cross island tie the telephone company will make their connection via radio and the opportunity to share costs will be lost. polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study TABLE OF CONTENTS I. General A. Overall SyStem ..... cee eee ee ne 1 Tia InvVeStigation adsaac ween toa micn sae anaa aura new ei iwe s 3 A. Village Efficiency ........ cece eee ees 3 B. Village Safety & Reliability .......... cece eens 3 C. Harbor/Airport Generation & Distribution ......... 3 DB. Wald TEES ccc a cca se cee w eee we eR ee 3 III. Village Efficiency As Cure SYRCOM oko nk es es eee EK eR ER HES 4 B. GeneratorS 2... cece ee ee ee ee ee ees 4 en TM gg ce cee ee ee se ee 4 D. USage 2... ccc ccc ccc ce eer ecw eee weer eeaees 6 E. PaymentS ...... cc cece ee ee eee tenes 6 F. Efficiency Investigations .. 1... seis ese se ctistiwnss 6 Vi MOSSES on suis eee eee est ee ee ee awe oe 6 2. Existing Generation ....... eee eee ees 7 3. New Generator ..... cece ee ee ee ee te ees 7 IV. Village Safety & Reliability A. EXisting System 5 i0. wok see ee aoe es ee 8 9 B. Existing System Problems ............00e eee iseae 9 a. ee ee ere ee ea 9 2... SUDStaCIONS i055 cee wes ee OS lS ow 9 Si. SOTVECES: 2 ce hee eee eee rss os eae eee es . 10 4. BreakerS .. i. ce eee ee ee eee 11 5. Balance on PhaseS .......ccenccccreveccsves ». ll C. Recommended System ...... cece eee eee eee ene beeaes 11 1. Descriptiom .....6se.008> SSE ee wae sede ioe 12 2... AGVARCEAGES 2c ccc eis eee Pees cere rte neee 12 3. Construction & COSTS ..... eee eee ee es 13 V. Harbor & Airport Generation A. GENETAL 2... cc rcs r csc ec vcanceessversesecescers 14 B. Electrical LoadS ........... cee ee eee ee ees 14 C. Local Generation 2... ccc ccc ccc ewe cece cc ncces 15 D. Cable Across Island .......c.ceeececncvecrcvccess 15 Lc BRLEPMONS 6 occ cc cw a wee eee eee 16 E. Processor Electrical Generation ..........0eeeee 17 F. Economics & CoStS ..... ee eee ee eee eee eee 17 VI. Harbor & Airfield Distribution ................0.5. 20* A. System Description ........... Sess wevieswus ee. 20% B. Previous system cost .......... er ee ee 20* C. Present system cost ......... see eee eee eee 20* VII. Conclusions ..... eee eee ee eee Rue tues Se ae sae oL* A. Village Efficiency ............ cee eee ee eee eee 21* B. Village Safety: .. 62.6 ccc sgee cess wna cece aes 22* polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study TABLE OF CONTENTS I. General Prem OVOLA LS SYS OM rarer enero ele) one) oleic oli oifoi oi atfeleirsire) eee elie lisisiie toll" az Eyer EMV OSC LAC LOM reer oh cule er oie fale) nie eieienien aienenouciererieisieioucususutsneuewens 3 A Vilage BEEUCLON Cy 5 ore seleie eel oils (el 0) «) oltelfel wie fol oe eis @ le clei 3 B. Village Safety & Reliability ............ Seon ae 3 C. Harbor/Airport Generation & Distribution ......... 3 Deb LO@LG Tripi circle cicroere sererers slebevenelelelelelercnoreielenene noc 3 III. Village Efficiency ee ee ee 4 EB oes Qe Bo ere oy oer oe one ote outoriel oute tel olloWelr lille onli) elie [ol ene Monel (oolioiie 4 ee ee ee ee 4 Dep RR oie roel crete Col elie Fell e) oie ie 1 fey cree) olretic) ele eteroy ore) ote) @ fel ote e) ol 6 Boia PAGE cours sorte 9) 0 os) te) cw iw Kel) 01 0) lio) w) wifaisl el elie fell helielielelie ce) eto 6 F. Efficiency Investigations .............02 eee eeeee 6 Le OSGMS re elelei el oielcierer iol clisliole lol cleieicrerencieleleiclciienstslcnels 6 2. Bxisting Generation 2... cc cesses cccscccccscece a Sc Oe GS aoe ore) 916 Gorin ool Clie fo ase) lo (0! eli ofielis) oe el «1 @)fole) ¢ av IV. Village Safety & Reliability A. Existing System ...... eRevolchenoleleronenonenel i eneie eae ag B. Existing System Problems” Rone hononeneheichersnerereicheroiehene rene 9 Drone elt el ei leolellolenoiel olielicl ollele lel chielrenelelcliciel i eleitel eel ener ae Zo aMnme Re LORS Nero). ciel el srelolol ciel siole isle) olerelelelcrelchers Moises 9 Se Ee COS Wel ele tole oncloneistetor olor stoneiol oh onoueneneravelerenensneiotoreie 10 i ROME OL Soo os) ooo Lele) ol ot 0) elo) 6 elle) ol lle 'o fe} Si icliclieliclieelielteliel el ek 5. meramnee. On PRASE@S cisco s seid cmaem fi eacum LL C. Recommended System ....cccccsccscccsceccce SEoneuen aL ee CRS CREO) 7. 0\\0) 0) 0) 0! 01 0 (eile! ¢) elleliel.e)(e fel 0) o)ieliete) ollonel elie oie) Cues 2s AIPM TNIIIE © 5 50, 6, o (0 10) 0. 6) [elie'%e [0 9, © 0, line 0 lle @) 9s o lel ee feral s) ae 3.. GOMSEEUCtiOn. 6 Costs... 6. ccc errs scsacceee LS V. Harbor & Airport Generation 1g OE SP AIS cla olololD COO COO OOIOIO CO OloOlaic nego ae B. Electrical Loads ..... exe xolioH omer encnetonor one wonsleneltel onenion = =~ 24 Cc; ES ME OED: 0:0 0: 16) oo 1oin01- 6-0 18h) Sas elie ele ler ele e Tel eels) 1-66 “S D. DEE EON 65 ccc cece esses ies ieeses 15 1 MIB orro0e fore oleh esieMeleyie aver eletoelerenaiayc icon ronen 16 E. or Electrical Generation pwehohchenenenenencnerencHerens La F. Gs & COBES .. 1.2520. sfrelelelevoneielelen ciel es: SB isn 17 VI. Harbor & Airfield Distribution ................... 20* A. SyBtem DOSGEIBEION 2... csc cee see eierecvnserve 20" B. Previous system cost ............ C. Present system cost ...... erenenenchsreneiench cteqerswiel ) orenemie ess VET CONCLUSIONS ora ccieie cl elelolelenclelcieierelchonehrenelereleleleloncneneverenne a Ae LLAgGe EECLCLONCY)/ ee ccisioie eel ciel ienenen lh olereiionen enone elencirs 21* Bee Vi AGG eSALOCY re cpenemer ey onelono forte) ronrcliotoneUolloW <a \io on oNoiol lols 22* polarconsult St. George Eiectrical System Study C. Harbor & Airport Generation ............. a atte le 22* Di) Harbor) 6) Airfield Distribution) peo cei. 23* LAG ee SI OGlo ad DIGld OOO alo iGlol dio log lm) els) a oa aloe nee s Viel sp ROCOMMONGACL ONS) i/o i lel iolelelelsiel ciersieioiei a ae renee . 24% ASiVillage (Effi ciencyilly icky rover renee 24* Bol VaLage | (SMEG a) oie lar cfteylelie or il-ssfaifat 5} atte rel cite! fo) ol elketrel io siiet ots 24* C.|| Harbor) |¢)/ Airport) Generation a) ei ae le 24* D.|| Harbor, |¢) Airfield Distribution | |o2o4)5 see secieeiecc 25* VIIIL.| City) Distribution) Layout | Drawing |)o oii) o ioe) lole) ieee 26 Field Trip Report ...:... sill (stiell sil ol olieniet ellerloliel|ellalielrelloitodelle)) ae eeaeete eA) eas St; George) Electrical) Loade) ele ile) tasers) ellelete erie) a}otte APPENDIX B City Construction Cost Estimate ............... APPENDIX C Harbor Distribution Construction Cost Estimate . APPENDIX D* * New Pages, April 17, 1989 gr. . ii polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study D iption The system shown on the drawings is designed so that at any particular location there is a minimum of two ways to feed the transformer. et is designed with sufficient sectionalizers and cabinets with plug in cable elbows so that a number of connections can be made to any phase. It is further laid out so that trenches can be common to the extent possible and their lengths limited as trenching can be costly in this rocky area. The system is laid out so that there are two feeds through the City to the line across the island to Zapadni Bay. The recommended cables are to be of the new REA type with jacketed neutral. Jacketing the neutral will increase the cost, about 50 cents per foot per conductor, but will keep the neutral wires from corroding due to salt in the ground. The sectionalizers will be equipped with fault indicators which will show which cable is faulted. The planned system services will include combined meter and breaker boxes made of plastic, stainless steel or have special coatings. The conduit, as a minimum, will be PVC coated. Grounds will be made to ground rods. Transformer enclosures will be of the pad type. Each enclosure will be equipped with the best anticorrosion protective finishes and hardware. As a consequence of high loss values it is planned to purchase low loss transformers as they are more cost efficient. Construction will be done by local force account labor with visits from the engineer or the City electrician to provide direction on the work and to provide quality control of the end product. 2. Advantages The advantages of the new system are as follows: o The system will be much safer than the existing one. o The system will be more efficient. o The system has to be replaced anyway and doing it all at once will insure quality and consistency, get it done before lives are lost, and result in training and employment for the people. o Replacing a system all at once is more cost effective than piecemeal. For example a backhoe will be needed for this project and several others that must be done. If the electric pays part of the backhoe cost then all of the work will be less expensive. o The new system will be more flexible and will operate better. The reliability will be much higher. For example if a transformer goes out it can be replaced from stock or 12 polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study C. Local Generation There are a number of ways of supplying power to Zapadni Bay. They include local generation by the City or a processor, or generation at St.George which would be transported across the island via power line. Local generation for a minimum condition would require about a 55kW power plant to supply all of the potential peak demands. Such a machine would cost about $25,000 for the machine, fuel tank and installation. The machine operating at minimum load most of the time would use some 20,000 gallons of fuel each year. The fuel during the initial periods would be more expensive then in the community as it would have to be hauled from the community until such time as a tank farm is constructed. If such a generator were run for 3 years the average costs including maintenance would be near $35,000 to $40,000 per year. After three years the generator would need to be replaced costing another $25,000. D. Cable Across Island Several means to interconnect Zapadni Bay with St. George were investigated. One was by overhead line and the second was by buried cable. Overhead lines have some serious problems. The foremost is the United States Fish and Wildlife does not want them in areas where the birds fly. They are concerned that the low flying Lesser Auklets will run into the wires. Secondly, the bad weather in the area means that a outage will likely be coincident with the time of maximum adverse weather. This means the time it is out is the time it is most needed and most difficult to repair. This is unlike a cable system which is mostly independent of weather. In the general case overhead lines are probably more reliable than cables. In a place like St. George it is likely that the failure rate will be higher for an overhead line. The third item is the local people have no experience or equipment to handle overhead maintenance. Fourthly, Telephone Utilities of the Northland is willing to share some of the costs of a buried system. They will not entertain the idea of going overhead. This is because of the maintenance factors. A report on St. George harbor electrical system was made to APA on August 1987 where a cost comparison was made on crossing the island by cable or by overhead line. At that time it was estimated that the island could be crossed, line cost only, for $141,000 for a overhead system and $212,000 for a three phase underground system. Since that time costs have radically increased. Poles have doubled in price and conductor materials have doubled as well. The #2 reduced concentric conductor underground cable which was about 70 cents per foot is now about one dollar per foot. Basic system changes may make it desirable to conform to REA standards which call for a increase in insulation thickness 15 polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study VI. Harbor & Airfield Distribution A. System Description The harbor and airfield distribution has been described in some detail in Polarconsult’s August 1987 report to Alaska Power Authority. The report looked at two types of distribution, underground and overhead. The basic assumption was that all critical loads would be supplied over two feeders. Fish processor plants were considered critical. And the system was to have a minimum capability of carrying 3 Mw which for the underground system resulted in a conductor size of 2/) and for the overhead resulted in a 1/0 conductor. The underground was to be located in a common rock trench with other utilities. The overhead system was to be constructed using short spans, 200 feet or less, and be class B construction or better. The previous system was based on a preliminary layout obtained from St George which was upgraded by Polarconsult. Since that time a more detailed layout has been obtained. But it is under stood that revisions must be made as Tanaq Corporation does not like it. This new layout has increased the number of lots from 30 to 39 which requires additional construction and costs. B. Previous system cost The previous systems were of the backbone type and priced only the basic part of the system which included the distribution system, and a few transformers and secondary runs for current identified loads. The cost for step up transformers and the power plant were not included. Also not included are the transformers and services for the processors. The cost for the underground was estimated to be $191,000. The cost of the above ground system was estimated to be $75,000. C. Present system cost Since 1987 there have been some considerable increases in costs of materials. Aluminium has increased in price from 65 cent to $1.05 a pound or more. Poles have almost doubled in price. New REA standards utilizing cable with a embedded jacketed neutral have raised in price from about 70 cents to $1.50 per foot for #2 URD cable. As a result of the above and increases in the number of lots to be served the current costs for a backbone system are $252,252 for the underground system and $156,489 for the above ground system. 20 polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study Vil. Conclusions St George is a community in transition. The transition is from a paternalistic governmentally funded operation to providing services to a vital link in our State’s economy. The harbor and its associated services are designed to attract onshore industry to the State of Alaska. Tt-is reported 95 percent of fisheries receipts for non anadromous fish caught off the State go outside. This is in a large measure because much of the catchers and processors do not use onshore support. What St. George is doing now is developing the infrastructure to get current offshore processors to move onshore which will provide them with employment. During the transition period while the harbor and airfield are under construction and while the processors are moving in is a excellent time to utilize the skills and labor of the local residents in raising the quality of their village facilities up to a safe and efficient standard. The specific detail of the conclusions are discussed below. A. Village Efficiency Efficiency of generation is near average in this community as compared to other communities of similar size. There are very large losses occurring due to worn out cables, wires and equipment. The generation plant is not as efficient as it could be as it is operating some distance down on its rating. Operation costs are quite high but this in part is because of transitional problems between Federal type of employment to a more typical situation. Some of the other costs to the community are repayment of some $200,000 deficit at the rate of 15 cents per kilowatt hour. As a result of this repayment individual costs are very high for electricity and there are no additional revenues available to build up reserves to replace the existing system. The problem with operations costs will disappear if the City supplies power to the processors. If not supply this power the problem is more difficult to resolve. In small communities it is difficult to keep skilled people or encourage the learning of skills when full time employment cannot be provided. For St. George the situation is particularly difficult because of the isolation. Skilled people cannot easily split their time between St. George and other places of employment. Losses within the system are very high. Based on readings at the power plant the system generates some 809,540 kWH per year while the consumers were billed for 587,732 kWH in fiscal year, July 1 thru June 30, 1988. The difference is 222,000 KWH or 25.32 continuous kilowatts. Losses on a well 21 polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study designed distribution system should be considerably lower and should average some where in the order of 4% or less. Because of the greater value of energy from diesel plants, distribution systems should be designed more conservatively with lower voltage drops which translates to larger conductors. Based on calculations for fuel alone, not considering capacity, the present worth value of the losses that can be saved by converting the village are about $132,000 . System construction will cost $258,800 so the difference is $126,000. Essentially, the value of the losses will pay for more than one half of a new system alone without consideration for loss of life or injury. When it is considered that the system will have to be replaced shortly in any event, because of deterioration caused by its age it would make sense to do it now. - B. Village Safety The system as it is now is unsafe. There are non proper grounds, currents are flowing in the neutrals of the generators and the transformers, corrosion is rampant and breakers are not in a condition to provide reliable tripping by the breaker nearest to the fault. In addition to code violations, the system is old and has a lot of excess parts which causes confusion and is a hazard to the non journeyman electricians that have to work with Ac. The transformer housings are in buildings and structures of wood and are very liable to catch fire and burn down under faults. Because the transformers are so old some of them may have PCB’s unless they have been checked. Just because the system is underground and out of sight should not be taken to mean everything is proper and it is safe. It is concluded that the value of the losses will pay for over one half a new system, further, the value of a single life is much greater than the cost of a new system. The system needs replacing and brought up to modern maintainable standards. C. Harbor & Airport Generation At the very least, a generation plant will be needed at the ‘harbor to run dock and street lights, shore power for transient boats, electricity for the harbor master and run the water pumps at the well. It is estimated that a engine generator near 55 kW in size will be adequate. The cost to purchase and operate such a plant will in the order of $35,000 to $40,000 per year. If the situation remained like this over 20 years the remote plant could cost as much as $400,000 on a present worth basis. 22 polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study A three phase cable operating at 7.2/12.4 kv from St George could provide power to the harbor. Such a cable is estimated to cost $330,500 but Utilities of the Northland has agreed to share a substantial portion of the cost to place their telephone cable in the trench across the island. As a result the cost to St George may be from $200,000 to $300,000. This is a one time opportunity to share costs. St George has sufficient capacity, and will have even more if the local distribution system is upgraded, to operate the harbor from the City at a low level of activity. There are several advantages to this which include a reduced capacity requirement with system diversity, less wear on equipment, better loading for the existing equipment and more waste heat for use in the City. It is estimated that the savings from generating from the town over 20 years will be about $170,000 which is near the lower cost of the cable system. The above case is not the most probable however. The City plans to generate power for the processors. Generation of the power at the harbor will result in lower cost power to the City. Provided the Cities new large power plant generates near the cost of similar sized plants in the area, the cost savings will be in excess of $40,000 each year with a present worth value in excess of $400,000. This will more than compensate for the price of the cross island cable. System diversity and reliability are other positive factors which have not been costed, but which add positive values to the above sum. The conclusion is that the cable will likely pay for itself in several ways and the opportunity is one that will not happen again. D. Harbor & Airfield Distribution Harbor and airfield distribution system will be a very vital part of supplying the services which are necessary to attract processors and other service industries to locate on shore. Although the large scale processors themselves may find it somewhat economical to generate power the smaller service organizations do not. In addition to businesses electric power will be required to run pumps for salt and fresh water, diesel and marine fuels, sewage lift stations, lights for safety for the docks and the airfield, navigational aids, provide shore power for boats when personnel have left and provide power to the harbor masters facilities. The conclusion is that electric power is more reliably and economically supplied by a central system and that it will be necessary to supply electric power if the fishing industry is to be attracted to utilize on shore facilities. 23 polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study E. Labor It is planned to do almost all of the work with local labor. Local people have been employed running heavy equipment in the construction of the harbor. The local electrician, although not licensed, has been working for some years with a licensed electrician and is very competent. Provided they get a decent backhoe, the people of St George have the equipment and manpower to construct the entire system themselves. Expert part time supervision and quality control will be needed on all of these projects. VIIl. Recommendations Recommendations for specific items are detailed below. Le is difficult to quantify some of the transitory things that might happen in St George. It is clear although, with steady jobs and a steady income the people will use and buy more electricity. Further if one believes that the harbor is successful, one will also believe that the City will grow and that the scenario painted in this report represents a de minimus view of the future, not the probable view. Further, people should have the right to a safe environment regardless of their income and regardless of the economics. A. Village Efficiency Village efficiency will not now pay for itself. If the village grows or the cost of oil increases the figures given are low as they are based on a static condition. It is recommended as a minimum that the electric system be replaced. At this time it is not recommended that anything be done with the generator, because of the huge system losses. It is better not to consider replacing machines until the new system has established a modicum of history and experience has shown the sized machine required. B. Village Safety Village safety is the single most crucial issue in this report. The system is neither efficient or safe. It needs fixing under the supervision of competent trained personnel. If this is done the local electrician can keep it up. It is recommended on a safety issue alone that the system be replaced. C. Harbor & Airport Generation A underground power system is recommended for the harbor. Considering the cost of ditching it is recommended that utilities be located in a common trench where possible. At 24 polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study this time it is not known where all of the facilities will be sited. When the first processor selects their building site and their requirements become know a master utility plan should be prepared which provides the need framework for future. Because of costs of treatment systems, discharge lines and intakes and trenching it is important to only have to construct a facility once. D. Harbor & Airfield Distribution There is a one time opportunity to get financial help in connecting the two sides of the island. Lt.) is) highly probable that there will be a large generation plant at the harbor. As a result it is recommended that a cable be constructed across the island during the summer of 1990. When consideration is given to the millions of dollars put into the harbor by the State and Federal Governments as well as all the local people’s money it makes little sense to construct a harbor with none of the amenities necessary to service the customers. It is very much in the State’s interest to get the processors to use onshore facilities. With 95% of the bottom fish value going offshore, mostly to Washington and Oregon, the State should take strong measures to encourage onshore operations in Alaska. 25 polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study APPENDIX D Harbor Distribution Construction Cost Estimate Underground System 03/13/89 ST. GEORGE ESTIMATE, HARBOR DISTRIBUTION Pg. 1 of 1 Underground System 03/13/89 ITEM NUMBER UNIT $/Unit $ TOTAL | PRIMARY SYSTEM | | | | | | | | | | | | | Sectionalizers | 6 | ea | $1,500.00 | $9,000 | Cable, Material | 33,389 | fc | $1.50 | $50,083 | Cable, Install | 33,389 | ft=| $0.27 | $8,904 | Cable, Freight | 1 | l.s. | $3,338.88 | $3,339 | Trench ("E") | 10,545 | £e=| $5.00 | $52,725 | Transformers | 3 | ea | $3,500.00 | $10,500 | Misc, splices, tools| 1 | l.s. | $4,000.00 | $4,000 | | | | | | Engineering | 1 | l.s. | $8,500.00 | $8,500 | Supervision | 1.5 | months | $7,500.00 | $11,250 | ereo ror orn sroesessese | pomeooese | eee eeewe= | eocwcnenacs | -oeewenoren= | Subtotal | | | | $158,301 | | | | | | Contingencies | | | 15%| $23,745 | a ed | Sone eewee | cow ene es jenn nencedan | aqme | Total | | | | $182,046 | ITEM | NUMBER | UNIT | $/Unit | $ TOTAL | worn n rrr n nas en=— ===" [aeserrene | eeeenn eee | comers sass | naman | SECONDARY SYSTEM | | | | | Sectionalizers | Lol ea | $1,500.00 | $1,500 | Cable, Material | 11,731 | ft | $1.50 | $17,597 | Cable, Install | 11,731 | ft] $0.27 | $3,128 | Cable, Freight | 1 | l.s. | $1,173.12 | $1,173 | Trench ("E") | 3,705 | ft | $5.00 | $18,525 | Transformers | Sel ea | $3,500.00 | $10,500 | Misc, splices, tools| el l.s. | $1,000.00 | $1,000 | | | | | | Engineering | 1 | l.s. | $2,000.00 | $2,000 | Supervision | 0.75 | months | $7,500.00 | $5,625 | SH Ses w awn mw wen aSae==— [ peectemtaens Fnenermene | merge | aie eee eaaEy Subtotal | | | | $61,048 | | | | | | Contingencies | | | 15%| $9,157 | Seer recewwewanesssers= { sername] eceseieetianieiay | Siansiecisaiasineie | alana ann | Total | | | | $70,206 | Total Primary + Secondary System Costs $252,252 Overhead Distribution System 03/13/89 ST. GEORGE ESTIMATE, HARBOR DISTRIBUTION Pg. 1 of 1 Overhead Distribution System 03/13/89 ITEM NUMBER UNIT $/Unit $ TOTAL | PRIMARY SYSTEM | | | | | | | | | | | | | Switches | 6 | ea | $200.00 | $1,200 | Cable, Material | 32,160 | tr $0.30 | $9,648 Cable, Install lntsZ, 360%] fC $0.10 | $3,216 | Cable, Freight | Z| LS $3,226.04 1 $3,216 Poles, Guys | 61 | ea | $770.00 | $47,138 Transformers | 3 | ea | $3,500.00 | $10,500 | Misc, splices, tools| el LriScial| (9505005001 $5,500 | | | | | | Engineering | Tl l.s. | $9,500.00 | $9,500 | Supervision | 0.5 | months | $7,500.00 | $3,750 | wore e eros srs seseseeere | perm mnee | sreeemrerenencem | eeqnmmnenan mann | epernececrenmanene | Subtotal | | | | $93,668 | | | | | | Contingencies | | | 15%] $14,050 | soemenorese ne seseee= | cece meee | oneeeewes | econ ecnneee | oonahnanenee | Total | | | | $107,718 | ITEM | NUMBER | UNIT | $/Unit | $ TOTAL | wom e roe sen nnn nn sone [ses nsses | Semen | ona mmiancndens | simmrnetsiireasanm | SECONDARY SYSTEM | | | | | Switches | a ea | $200.00 | $200 | Cable, Material {| 211,544 | ftm| $0.30 | $3,463 | Cable, Install | 11,544 | ee | $0.10 | $1,154 Cable, Freight | ail l.s. | $1,154.40 | $1,154 | Poles, Guys | 2am | ea | $770.00 | $16,562 | Transformers | 3) ea | $3,500.00 | $10,500 | Misc, splices, tools| | l.s. | $5,500.00 | $5,500 | | | | | | Engineering | aah l.s. | $2,000.00 | $2,000 | Supervision | 0.25 | months | $7,500.00 | 32,5151 mem eoeroosnnnesesooce | emetntnenrnen | coeneminaenen | mminmenastemenmes | seemecrenanmarenennas | Subtotal | | | | $42,409 | | | | | Contingencies | | | 15%] $6,361 | Aan TLCS [el trl ete Total | | | | $48,770 | Total Primary + Secondary System Costs $156,489 ST. GEORGE ESTIMATE, ACROSS ISLAND ITEM | NUMBER ee on oe ee | -e------- CABLE ACROSS ISLAND | Sectionalizers | 6 Cable, Material | 75000 Cable, Install | 75000 Cable, Freight I ae | Trench ("0") | 12000 Trench ("E") | 12000 | Misc, splices, tools| 1 | SECTION - AIRPORT TO WELL Cable, Material | 10000 Cable, Install | 10000 Trench ("E") | 3300 | Engineering | ‘ Supervision | 2 eww nw on wn nn wo oo oo oe ee ee | oe Subtotal | | Contingencies | | 03/13/89 $1,500.00 $1.50 $0.27 $7,500.00 $1.50 $5.00 $6,000.00 $1.50 $0.30 $5.00 $5,000.00 $7,500.00 $9,000 $112,500 $20,000 $7,500 $18,000 $60,000 $6,000 $15,000 $3,000 $16,500 $5,000 $15,000 $287,500 $43,125 $330,625 polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study C. Harbor & Airport Generation ..........0 ee eeeees 22* D. Harbor & Airfield Distribution ..............-- 23* Ee LAB OD oie trie ool ore fe aoe eas egeeerer se efter ale tet teletetiets 24* VIII. Recommendations .......... Soe foy ote atte cts teat esac oon ot st ol 24* A. Village Efficiency ... 62.5 6 ote ee wee 24* Bee Va age Sat Oty erate acetate eigen ao leo oie lot ee tote tee tess de tates 24* C. Harbor & Airport Generation ............0+cc00% 24* D. Harbor & Airfield Distribution ................ 25* VIIII. City Distribution Layout Drawing ............... 26 Field Trip Report ...... adeleladea site doerteetey ee orecte ee -oete APPENDIX A St George Electrical Loads .................... APPENDIX B City Construction Cost Estimate ......... ...... APPENDIX C Harbor Distribution Construction Cost Estimate . APPENDIX D* * New Pages, April 17, 1989 ii polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study |. General A. Overall System The Village of St. George is located on one of the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea. It is in the center of a body of water with one of the richest concentrations of sea life in North America. The settlement was founded by the Russians to aid in their taking and processing fur seal pelts. The Federal Government, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, also processed fur seal pelts in St. George until 1972 but sealing continued in St. Paul until 1983. In 1983 NOAA turned the Island over to its inhabitants along with a modest sum of money. The Federal Government made it illegal to harvest fur seals for sale, which eliminated the economic activity that has employed the people for nearly 200 years, and they directed the inhabitants to find other means to support themselves. The people decided their best means of doing this was to participate in the fishing industry. As a result they have spent some 22 million dollars to develop a harbor on the opposite side of the Island where boats and processors can operate. The harbor will be a state and national resource for this rich fishing region, and several fishing firms have expressed their intent to locate facilities on the Island. A brief outline of the history is important because it helps put into context the inheritance of a facility constructed by the Federal Government and the situation which places the community in a position were they lack the funds to bring the system up to a proper standard. It also is important to realize the isolation of the people in this location due to distance, weather, cost and their inability to obtain the supply and technical services taken for granted in other areas of the state. Things are changing in St. George. A road was constructed across the island to the harbor site. The harbor is almost ready to use as most of the breakwaters have been completed along with docks. Harbor dredging will be completed this fall. A new airstrip will be under construction next year. The new airstrip will be to service the community and the harbor and is of sufficient length to handle large aircraft. The airfield will be equipped with lights which are switched on by radio from the aircraft. Lights and navigational aids are very important because of adverse weather conditions at the island. As a result of the activity in the vicinity of the harbor, the telephone company, Telephone Utilities of the Northland, intends to extend service to the other side of the island. The original intent was to do this work this summer as work is being done in the community on the satellite switching polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study system. The utility has however at the request of the City, deferred this project until next summer. The electrical energy produced with diesel generators Supplies this community of 195 people. The electric facility delivered some 587,000 metered kWH in 1988. In the process they consumed some 64,000 gallons of diesel fuel which cost $1.04 per gallon. The diesel generators produced 9.2 kWH of delivered electricity for each gallon of fuel used and provided heating for the community hall and shop building located nearby. The State paid the Community $109,398 for Power Cost Equalization, PCE, during this period. PCE payment was 25.5 cents per kWH. St. George has 56 residential customers, 2 community facilities, and 19 commercial facilities for a total of 67 total connections. Based on information from "First Annual, Statistical Report of the Power Cost Equalization Program" St. George exceeds the average for communities it size in terms of kWH generated per gallon of fuel, and is the third highest in the State in the cost of kWH sold. polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study Il. Investigation Polarconsult Alaska, Inc. is doing this study under the direction of the Alaska Power Authority. Polarconsult has a a Technical Assistance Contract with Alaska Power Authority to do work on various rural energy problems. A. Village Efficiency One of the tasks of this study is to investigate means of increasing the electrical efficiency of the village. Included with this study is to be an analysis of generation capacity and the extension of waste heat to other structures along with a cost estimate. Efficiency of the wiring system is difficult to analyze without detailed electrical readings but ground currents in this system show that considerable energy is being lost due to system problems. B. Village Safety & Reliability This task is to investigate safety problems in the system and also determine whether the system has the needed reliability for such a remote location. C. Harbor/Airport Generation & Distribution The new harbor will need electricity for the harbor master, lights and for the boats. Electricity will have to be provided to run pumps for the fresh water system, the construction camp, the airfield and the harbor. Lighting is a safety and logistic requirement for the new airfield and requires power. There may well be a need for power for one or more of the onshore processors. This task is to involve both the harbor and the village. D. Field Trip A field trip was made to St. George by Henry Lang, EE and Earle Ausman. Also on the trip was Dave Hopkins from Utilities of the Northland. During the four days at St. George information was gathered by measurement, observation and inquiry into the current system and its conditions. Input from the local people was acquired as well. The weather during the field trip was very bad and the crew was weathered in by a storm at Cold Bay for an additional three days. The storms experienced and the runway limitations and the lack of access to St. George emphasize the need for a new airfield equipped with reliable lighting. For details please see appendix A. polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study lll. Village Efficiency A. Current System The current village system is comprised of a central generation plant with a 480 volt buried cable distribution system. The system is delta connected. The system was probably installed about the time the generation facility was constructed which was in 1951 making it some 38 years old. It has been stated that the first wiring was done in the 40’s. Several years ago the City started construction of a backbone system comprised of three phase cable 7.2/12.4 kV to the HUD housing and a single phase 7.2kV cable to the wells further up the hill. Although there are some three phase transformer banks, such as near the school and the machine shop, the majority of the power is transmitted in single phase ungrounded form. Some lines are quite long; for example the connection to the pumps was in excess of 1000 feet. When the Federal Government constructed the facility, oil was inexpensive and losses were not of real importance. A report produced by IECO in 1984 stated that there were problems with excessive voltage drops which can be an indicator of high cable losses. During Polarconsult’s field trip a number of grounds were showing current flows which should not have occurred unless there is leakage of some type between insulated conductors and the ground, or grounding of single phase loads was not adequate. B. Generators The generation plant is equipped with three old caterpillar 342Ds, installed in 1961, which have a output of about 125 kW each. These machines have approximately 90,000 to 100,000 hours of use. In addition there is a newer 3406 cat generator rated at 150 kW, installed sometime in 1985. This machine has been used about 25,000 hours. This machine runs most of the time as it is newer, hooked to the waste heat system and has increased fuel efficiency over the older generators. One of the D342’s was down during the field trip. The operators, who do the overhauls, stated that the machine had parts of the block eroded by water and the gaskets could not be prevented from leaking. The power house is a well constructed of concrete and is equipped with breaker panels and means of synchronizing the generators. C. Load The power plant operator made available some strip charts of the load which are presented in appendix B. Assuming the polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study correction factor of 192 kW per unit is correct and that the meter was accurate, the following observations can be made for 1988 and part of 1987. Year Month Peak Low Observations 1988 kW kw Jan 100 67 Feb 78 58* Seemed low Mar 102 67 Jul TES 77 Nov 100 81 Summer 134 86 Years Peak Late Sum 77 57 Years Low Based on this table and the charts the loads seem to be very uniform. Some of this uniformity is created by about 4.7kw of leakage current to the generator neutral. It is probable that there are added losses within the system which are creating some additional base values. The average load for the system is 67 kW, which is based on figures derived from sales. When consideration is given to the above minimums it is clear that the above minimums are about equal to or above the average system usage. The peak load of 134 kW is created when the freezer plant is in operation during the summer. With the exception of the time when the freezer is operating it would appear that 115 kW is’ sufficient capacity. The load factor for the community is 58% when the freezer plant is not taken into consideration. During preparation of the above it was determined that there was a totalized meter reading for the system whose values for FY 1988 are given below. The City was asked if there were any unaccounted unmetered loads and they said there were none. TOTAL SYSTEM GENERATION Month Load, kWH Month Load, kWh July 71,100 Jan 66, 680 Aug 72,320 Feb 69,410 Sept 64,180 Mar 69,030 Oct 60,510 Apr 72,000 Nov 75,070 May 51,600 Dec 70,320 June 66, 320 TOTAL 809,540 kWH The difference between what was generated and what was metered is 221,800 kWH which converts to a continuous 25.3 kW. When compared to the 67 average kW metered at the points of use it shows that some 27.4% of the total power generated is being lost. On the basis of the total metered generation the system is producing 12.2 kWH per gallon of fuel. polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study D. Usage The average residential use of electricity in 1988 was 349 kWH per month which is well below the 750 allowed under the PCE program and is consistent with the 331 kWH used as a average by AVEC for other remote communities. Out of the some 587,700 kWH some 157,000, almost 27%, was ineligible for PCE. E. Payments Payments to St George for PCE were $109,398 in 1988. The system operating costs were $116,626. These costs were further divided by $66,381 for fuel and the balance for labor and material. F. Efficiency Investigations Investigations included acquiring as-builts, discussions with the power plant operator, acquisition of data on new engines and engine-generator sets for the plant. In addition field measurements were made on transformer neutrals and on the neutrals at the power plant. 1. Losses Based on previous experience with low voltage systems such as at Nikolski and Takotna it is evident that long runs of low voltage conductors are conducive to excessive line losses. Jerry Larsen or Dale Russnel of the Authority can speak to the large reduction in losses at Nikolski after the low voltage system was replaced by a more modern 7.2/12.4kV system. Examination of the minimum values off of the chart as compared to the average generation based on meter reading discloses that the minimums are as high or higher than the average. There are a number of things that can cause this which range from system losses to incorrect meter factors, poor measurements, etcetera. It is likely however, considering the system condition, that the differences are largely caused by system losses. Present 480 volt system losses could also be approximated from a estimate of conductor lengths and projected loads. It is clear that a system with a increased voltage, changing from 480v to 12,400v, that is 25 times greater will be much more efficient as to line losses as the current will drop to 1/25th. So despite the use of a smaller conductor with higher resistance, the resultant line losses will become almost negligible. One factor which will somewhat increase losses in a new system is the increase in the number of transformers which will be installed to reduce the length of the secondary runs. Transformers have two loss components. One is created by losses in the core, the second from losses in the windings. The core loss is continuous and the winding loss varies as to the square of the load. For communities where energy costs are high, transformers should polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study be purchased with lower loss characteristics. These transformers may have price adders to 30% but their life long savings will be several times their cost. As an example, a 25kVA transformer of the standard type will have a no load loss of 0.075kW and a full load loss of 0.597kW. At 13 kWH and one dollar per gallon for 20 years, the present worth value of a kWH of losses is $6,730. This indicates the core loss alone on a typical transformer is $505 and the winding loss will be about the same for a total of $1,010. The transformer cost is $743. By paying 19% more, about $144, 42% of the losses can be saved for a ratio of 3 dollars returned for every dollar invested. Measurements were made at the generator neutral at the power plant. These measurements show that there were 17.7 amperes flowing in the generator neutral. As the system is delta connected there should have been no ground currents returning to the generator unless there was some leakage of phase currents to ground. We also measured currents to ground at some of the transformer banks. The neutral current losses measured at the generator terminals on the field trip result in a present worth loss of about $32,000. These neutral currents however are a sign of more serious problems which include insulation breakdown, lack of proper grounding in the system with the potential for fire, electric shock, and sudden outages. 2. Existi cenerati The generation plant is equipped with three old cat 342Ds which were installed in 1961 and have a rated output of about 125 kW each. Caterpillar claims these machines are only capable of 110 kW. These machines have approximately 90,000 to 100,000 hours of use. Due to corrosion caused by electrolysis the blocks on the D342 are reported to be in bad condition. There is also a newer 3406 cat generator rated at 150 kW. This machine has been used about 25,000 hours. This machine runs most of the time as it is newer, hooked to the waste heat system and has increased fuel efficiency over that of the older generators. The operators report that the D342’s use about 9gph of fuel whereas the D3406 uses some 6.7 gph. The City claims by utilizing the more efficient engine they have saved some $21,000 worth of fuel over the past two years. The waste heat recovery system has saved the City $25,000 worth of fuel per year during the last two years. 3. New Generator The village requested a new generator as the D342s are worn out and are very inefficient. The size generator the village requested was too large to be efficient as its fuel efficiency at light loads is lower than that of a smaller generator operating closer to full load. The current Cat polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study 3406 generator is too large most of the time. An ideal generator size for the City would be about 100kW to 125kW. A suggestion by APA is to replace one of the old D342 engines with a new modern more fuel efficient engine. Investigation of several engines discloses that a Cummings LTA-10-C engine or the equivalent thereof would be in the order of 11 or 12 percent more efficient then the D3406 now used for the bulk of the generation. If this new engine were run most of the time it would save about 10% of the fuel used at this time. This would be worth about $6,600 per year if system generation stays constant. The engine would pay for itself in less than 3 years. Many modifications may be required of the old generator, bell housing, supports and frames, however so it may not be warranted to save the old equipment. The generators purchased during the time period of these old machines are usually not as efficient as the more modern ones. If a generator had a 20 year life, the cost of only 1% efficiency difference will exceed six thousand dollars, or the price of a new generator. In event the old generator is not to be used, the choice could be to utilize a 1800 RPM machine which has a shorter life but is even more efficient. As an illustration the above Cummings engine is about 5% more efficient at 1800 RPM than at 1200 RPM. Over the three year life of the engine such a increase in efficiency would save some $9,600 worth of fuel. This Cummings engine could not be utilized at 1800 RPM however as its rating is much higher than needed and it would not be operating near its most efficient load point. polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study IV. Village Safety & Reliability A. Existing System St. George is on the shores of the Bering Sea without any intervening terrain between it and the open ocean. When storms and high winds occur salt spray blows ashore. This salt spray corrodes all metallic objects, which fail at a high rate. This corrosion has and is effecting the electrical system as well. Because of this corrosion, the original improper installation, and the lack of experienced Maintenance people, the system has a number of problems which bear on safety. The problems not only include ones on the 480 volt section of the system but on the low voltage side of the transformers as well. The existing connections to houses are badly corroded and many of them are not installed in accordance with code. In addition the services are at 120 volts which does not allow the residents to use 240 volt appliances and causes increased service cable losses to some extent because of reduced voltage. The village is founded on volcanic rock making it difficult to trench in the area. In addition there are a number of 480 volt and telephone system lines which will need to be located and trenched under or be cut and spliced with a dislocation of service as a new system is installed. Backfill for the trenches in the area of the cable is generally scoria which is hauled from pits located in the central portion of the island. As a result, the cost of installing underground systems is higher than in locations were subgrade materials are silt, sand or gravel. B. Existing System Problems i. Age The system must have been constructed about 1951. Local residents state that parts of it were built by Government people who were not electricians. The system has 17 T taps and some of these taps have failed and have been retaped. 2. Sut ; The substations are constructed as wooden structures or add- ons to buildings. Some of the transformers are dry type and others are liquid type. The substations do not have proper clearances nor is the electrical equipment properly protected from accidental contact. Substations in wooden, not fire protected structures, are subject to a short and fire risking the loss of the entire substation. With transportation difficulties, such a fire could result in homes and other structures not being heated for weeks. A number of the substations showed ground currents flowing in the neutrals of transformers. This shows that current is polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study returning through the ground from services and appliances back to the transformer. This should not be the case as each service is fed from two wires and should have no ground return current. At the old fire station site 0.4 amperes was measured in the neutral leg. At the uptown substation 0.2 amperes was measured. At the school substation 8.8 amperes was measured flowing in the ground leg. All of this shows that there are some serious problems throughout the system. Problems range from inadequate grounding to probable breakdown of insulation plus possible corrosion and grounding of the conductors via mineral tracking within the system. The local electrician gave us some illustrations of the corrosion problems in some of the homes. He stated that conduit buried in the concrete walls of the houses was corroded away. In a condition such as this if the conductor insulation is not adequate, a high resistance ground can be achieved which can produce returns to the neutral. Situations of this type are dangerous because even if they take place within non combustible materials the wire frequently continues through combustible material. If the wire is overloaded and the breakers fail to operate because of age or corrosion a fire can occur which can be very dangerous to people. With currents flowing in the ground some metallic objects can have their voltage raised. Such raised voltage can result in electrocution. 3. Services The services to the homes, which are among the most significant, are 120 volt and are connected by conduit to a meter base. Hence, they run through the structure to a Panel board. The system is connected to ground by #6 copper wire to the water system. According to code it should also be connected to ground with a ground rod. There is a danger connecting to the water system in that it is scheduled to be replaced and the replacement will be plastic pipe. In addition rust and mineral salts can build up over time in the joints of metallic water pipes and increase the resistance of the ground path. The existing services are Made up of standard materials and show great signs of corrosion. It is proposed that new services be installed while the crews are putting in the secondary service cables and the primary system. New services will be needed to provide a 220 volt system and breakers will be located at the service entrance point. The system should be grounded in accordance with code and will be equipped with a neutral for the return of ground currents. With a solid ground at the breakers, line to ground faults will more likely cause the protective 10 polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study devices to trip which will reduce the chance of fire and inadvertent shock. The new services will be manufactured with materials that will have a higher resistance to corrosion then their predecessors. It is proposed that the combined meter base and entrance breakers be constructed of non _ corrosive Materials. The assembly to be protected by location, hoods, or both from the salt spray. 4. Breakers The Field Report in the appendix gives some illustrations on the breaker systems at the village. If breakers due to corrosion or just being worn out do not trip then there is no protection for the equipment on the system. Of even more importance is that there is no protection for people when a appliance or item of equipment shorts. The problems that are taking place are illustrated by an example where a small load at the school failed to trip its breaker, the main school breaker, or the feeder breaker at the powerhouse but tripped the generator breaker which shut down the entire town. This example shows that there are serious problems in the system. As a minimum such tripping puts the entire town out for a minor fault. The worst is that it puts more usage on the generator breakers than they are designed for and makes them more likely to fail. The system needs the breakers checked, recoordinate and replaced as are warranted. This will not be inexpensive and for smaller breakers, total replacement may be best. A small community, such as St George, does not have available to it at a cost that is affordable, trained personnel who can find and replace the problems in the system. To check the larger breakers without shutting down the system for a protracted period will involve bringing some one to the town with test equipment. Such a trip will cost $3,000 or more and will only show that the breakers are satisfactory or need to be replaced or be recoordinated. Then new breakers or parts, provided they are available for this old equipment, will need to be ordered and installed. 2. Balance on Phases The current system is not laid out in a manner to make it very easy to balance the phases. If phase balance is better the line losses will be decreased. C. Recommended System The recommended system is as shown on the drawing. Le consists of a looped 3 phase URD, 7.2/12.4 kV system generally built in accordance with REA standards. LL, polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study 1. Description The system shown on the drawings is designed so that at any particular location there is a minimum of two ways to feed the transformer. It is designed with sufficient sectionalizers and cabinets with plug in cable elbows so that a number of connections can be made to any phase. It is further laid out so that trenches can be common to the extent possible and their lengths limited as trenching can be costly in this rocky area. The system is laid out so that there are two feeds through the City to the line across the island to Zapadni Bay. The recommended cables are to be of the new REA type with jacketed neutral. Jacketing the neutral will increase the cost, about 50 cents per foot per conductor, but will keep the neutral wires from corroding due to salt in the ground. The sectionalizers will be equipped with fault indicators which will show which cable is faulted. The planned system services will include combined meter and breaker boxes made of plastic, stainless steel or have special coatings. The conduit, as a minimum, will be PVC coated. Grounds will be made to ground rods. Transformer enclosures will be of the pad type. Each enclosure will be equipped with the best anticorrosion protective finishes and hardware. As a consequence of high loss values it is planned to purchase low loss transformers as they are more cost efficient. Construction will be done by local force account labor with visits from the engineer or the City electrician to provide direction on the work and to provide quality control of the end product. ign Advantages The advantages of the new system are as follows: o The system will be much safer than the existing one. o The system will be more efficient. o The system has to be replaced anyway and doing it all at once will insure quality and consistency, get it done before lives are lost, and result in training and employment for the people. o Replacing a system all at once is more cost effective than piecemeal. For example a backhoe will be needed for this project and several others that must be done. If the electric pays part of the backhoe cost then all of the work will be less expensive. o The new system will be more flexible and will operate better. The reliability will be much higher. For example if a transformer goes out it can be replaced from stock or 2) polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study if one of the powerhouse substation fails there will be a redundant one. nC ; C The construction should be planned for this summer but could be extended to next summer if required. The power system rehabilitation would need to be coordinated and could proceed with the water project. The construction will be done with a new backhoe, hopefully in the 630D class equipped with a rock bucket. The team will put in the backbone system first and may choose to make the connections to the buildings last. It is recommended that the entire old system be removed and the electrical system which remains will be the current active one. In some substations there are a number of unused circuits and connections which is not safe. Leaving them in is a long term invitation to reuse them. Further it leads to confusion which can be dangerous. Simple and uncluttered is safer. Costs of upgrading the distribution system are shown in the spreadsheet presented in the appendix. The cost estimate is $268,700 based on construction the summer of 1989. Should the project be delayed a year an additional 5 to 7 percent should be added. The cost of improving the generator at the power plant vary from as little as $10,000 to $30,000 depending on what is done. Consideration should be given to connecting the school with the waste heat system. The operators report that the outside fan operates which indicates that the city hall is not using all of the available heat. If desired the value of constructing this 500+ foot connection could be verified using a Btu meter which would cost in the order of $700. The School used over $10,000 worth of oil last year. This amount would not all be saved but some certainly could be. AL) polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study V. Harbor & Airport Generation A. General The harbor will have the dredging completed this fall and will be ready for beneficial occupancy. The airport is scheduled to be constructed either starting this fall, provided the contractor with onsite equipment wins the bid, or the summer of 1991. The City hopes and needs to be making some income off of the harbor immediately. This means they have to provide some of the infrastructure to attract users. B. Electrical Loads Harbor electrical loads will constitute the greatest demand in the area and will include local lighting for the floats, docks and interconnecting roadway. Shore power for the boats that hook up to the moorage system and power for the harbormaster building will be needed. In addition electricity will be needed for hoists at the dock. Power will also be needed to run the pumps at the wells for supply of fresh water to the boats. Navigation lighting will be provided by the Coast Guard. These are the minimum electrical requirements for the harbor. The maximum can be substantially larger and will depend whether one or more onshore processors wish to purchase power from the City. If there are local processors, there will be a demand for a source of salt water which is uncontaminated, sewage pumping systems, additional fresh water, oil storage pumps, additional street and dock lighting and of course added supplemental activity brought on by services to the processors. Because of the Mature of the area, massive rock, the use of common utility ditches or structures can save considerable money. All utilities therefore should be planned in a coordinated Manner. Airfield navigational aids such as DME, distance measuring equipment, and NDB, non directional beacon, will be continuous users of power. As an estimate these devices will use about 2 kW for the DME and 0.5 to 2.5 kW for the NDB. A reasonable estimate for the total is 4.5 kW. Airfield lighting is only utilized when a aircraft approaches and keys its transmitter. Alaska Division of Aviation, ADA, states that the demand load for lighting for this field will be about 10kW and even a very active field such as at Unalaska only utilizes several hundred kWH per month. The airfield would also like a power connection to the shed that will store ADA’s maintenance equipment. 14 polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study C. Local Generation There are a number of ways of supplying power to Zapadni Bay. They include local generation by the City or a processor, or generation at St.George which would be transported across the island via power line. Local generation for a minimum condition would require about a 55kW power plant to supply all of the potential peak demands. Such a machine would cost about $25,000 for the machine, fuel tank and installation. The machine operating at minimum load most of the time would use some 20,000 gallons of fuel each year. The fuel during the initial periods would be more expensive then in the community as it would have to be hauled from the community until such time as a tank farm is constructed. If such a generator were run for 3 years the average costs including maintenance would be near $35,000 to $40,000 per year. After three years the generator would need to be replaced costing another $25,000. D. Cable Across Island Several means to interconnect Zapadni Bay with St. George were investigated. One was by overhead line and the second was by buried cable. Overhead lines have some serious problems. The foremost is the United States Fish and Wildlife does not want them in areas where the birds fly. They are concerned that the low flying Lesser Auklets will run into the wires. Secondly, the bad weather in the area means that a outage will likely be coincident with the time of maximum adverse weather. This means the time it is out is the time it is most needed and most difficult to repair. This is unlike a cable system which is mostly independent of weather. In the general case overhead lines are probably more reliable than cables. In a place like St. George it is likely that the failure rate will be higher for an overhead line. The third item is the local people have no experience or equipment to handle overhead maintenance. Fourthly, Telephone Utilities of the Northland is willing to share some of the costs of a buried system. They will not entertain the idea of going overhead. This is because of the maintenance factors. A report on St. George harbor electrical system was made to APA on August 1987 where a cost comparison was made on crossing the island by cable or by overhead line. At that time it was estimated that the island could be crossed, line cost only, for $141,000 for a overhead system and $212,000 for a three phase underground system. Since that time costs have radically increased. Poles have doubled in price and conductor materials have doubled as well. The #2 reduced concentric conductor underground cable which was about 70 cents per foot is now about one dollar per foot. Basic system changes may make it desirable to conform to REA standards which call for a increase in insulation thickness 15 polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study along with fully jacketing the neutral because of the agencies experience with corrosion. In this event the cable cost is 1.50 dollars per conductor foot or a increase in basic cable costs of 2.40 per foot in the 27,000 feet of trench. Additionally this new jacket requires that grounding of the neutral be done at one-quarter mile intervals which raises costs. A better system is what causes some of the increases in cost. The new system will clearly have a longer life than the old one. Whether the increase in price is economically justified is not known nor is it easily determinable. The net result of all of this is a project increase which can be as much as $118,000 over the 1987 estimate. The costs of the buried cable project are so high because one half of the trenching is expected to be in rock. In these rock areas burying the cable will cost over three times more then in the areas where trenching can be done. All areas will be tough to dig even the ones which are excavatable. To keep costs down, use existing equipment and avoid problems with environmental disturbance it is planned to utilize mound construction rather than to blast a trench. The plan would be to run two ripper passes with a D9 along the cable route. Where the trench could be dug with a backhoe it would be, where it could not it would be covered with a mound. To get the code required depth of cover, the cable would be buried in scoria to depths required by code. So for example if the cable has to be buried 2.5 feet and a trench can only be dug 1 foot deep, 1.5 feet of fill over the existing ground would be placed to protect the cables. Some suggestions have been made to bury the cable within the toe of the road. A road such as this is constantly widening and the toes must be pulled in with a grader. In time no one know where the cable is. To get the cable away from this activity one could dig into the rock but this would be quite expensive as the road fill would have to be removed and an attempt made to excavate the trench. In many cases no trench could be dug so the cable is on top of the rock at the bottom of the fill level. Given all of this it is likely that a some equipment will cut the cable which can prove hazardous. 1. Telephone Telephone Utilities of the Northland needs to get telephone communications to the other side of the island. They currently have satellite communications systems in the City. Several of their best alternatives include buried cable and radio. Buried 56 pair or so cable of copper or fiber optic is their preference. With buried cable they are free to tap into the system at whatever location they choose. Buried 16 polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study cable will help the City of St. George as the telephone company will share the costs of trenching across the island and in the vicinity of the City and the Harbor. If the City however, chooses to not build the underground system then the Utility will go via radio and there never will be an opportunity to share costs. E. Processor Electrical Generation A large onshore processor usually needs considerable power to run the process lines and the refrigeration system. A facility such as Tridents at Akutan utilizes 1.5 MW of capacity. The system capacity for distribution of power in the harbor area based on the current knowledge should be about 4 MW or more. The processors also require some of the heat produced by the equipment. For this reason and reliability reasons the only location for a generation plant of any size is at the harbor. If the City were to provide generation for large loads, the larger power plant would be located at the harbor and the personnel currently working at the City power plant would man this station. The harbor power plant would send Power to the City. The only exception to this would be if it were found to be economical to base load one of the Cities generators thereby providing the waste heat to the City buildings. The net result of this plant at the harbor would be that labor costs now charged to operate the existing plant would mostly, if not all, be charged against the processors and the harbor. This would reduce the cost of power at the village substantially. In addition there would be some increases in plant efficiency because the larger plants are more efficient and can have a larger more experienced operations team. Further, as fuel will be stored in the vicinity in substantial quantity for the boats it is likely that fuel costs will be under those now paid by the City. Although fuel can be trucked across the island it costs money to do this and it is not as_ sound environmentally. If the power line is not built none of the potential savings are possible. The harbor and City will operate as separate entities. Although personnel can move from one plant to another it is less prone to happen and will certainly result in a considerable reduction in efficiency. Two small plants will loose the advantage of diversity and if a large plant and a small one are needed, the City and State will loose the economies of scale. F. Economics & Costs If the city were to run a remote generation plant at the harbor for a period of years the 20 year present worth cost of doing this would be in the order of $350,000 to $400,000. If they just added the load to their plant at the village Le polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study they would have virtually no increased costs of labor. The efficiency would increase saving probably 1/3 of the fuel cost. They would be able to purchase the capacity at a lower cost as larger generator sets cost less per kW and they would be able to utilize the waste heat. Without accounting for less expensive fuel and the value of the waste heat, the resultant savings could be in the order of $170,000 over then next 20 years. In addition, with a cable connection a power plant at the harbor or the village would only have to be large enough to provide standby power in event the line failed to operate. If the village were to build a large power plant at the harbor the waste heat they currently get from the local generation plant would be lost. However, the labor cost per kWH would be largely charged to the major users of electricity so the City would have greatly reduced labor costs. Fuel costs should drop with a quantity purchase and with a decent harbor to a cost similar to that achieved by Nome, Kotzebue and Dillingham. St George and St. Paul could become part of the cooperative that is buying fuel for these facilities. The efficiency of the larger generators will be better than those of the smaller machines and the unit cost per kW of owning and operating them will also be lower. If some of the other communities can sell power from diesel facilities in the teens there is no reason that St George can not provide itself with power at similar rates. In general terms PCE would drop to about one half its current rate so the system would save the State $50,000 or so each year with a present worth of $500,000 over a 20 year period. For example the State currently pays St George an average of 25.5 cents on the residential rate whereas it pays Nome 8.3 cents. At a savings of 17.2 cents per kWH times last years eligible residential electric consumption of 234,793 kWH the savings comes to $40,000 per year or a present worth of about 400,000 dollars. If this savings comes about it is evident that it make sense to construct a power line across the island. The telephone utility will pay in excess of $60,000 for their share of the trenching effectively reducing the cost of the intertie. Consideration should be given to local employment during the transition period when the people and economy are moving from one Federally controlled and dominated to a local one created by the construction of facilities, employment in private enterprise and employment in service industries for fisheries. It costs the State of Alaska money when people are unemployed as there are a number of support programs which come into play as well as a increase in various social costs. When people are employed the government takes in money through taxes and insurance instead of expending it. Money can be earned by doing something which reduces the 18 polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study costs of operating as long as the cost of the activity is less than the savings. An added factor is that this cross island cable will support about one third the cost of the 630D backhoe. This will help save money during the construction of the village water and electrical system. The backhoe is important as it requires a good sized machine to dig in this area because of the rock. The cost of shipping to the island is high therefore rental is not cost effective. Rental is especially unfavorable in the case where there are three City projects to do. Further, a hoe could put in the airfield cable saving the contractor hence the State money. One of the local people could be employed operating it. 19 polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study VI. Harbor & Airfield Distribution A. System Description The harbor and airfield distribution has been described in some detail in Polarconsult’s August 1987 report to Alaska Power Authority. The report looked at two types of distribution, underground and overhead. The basic assumption was that all critical loads would be supplied over two feeders. Fish processor plants were considered critical. And the system was to have a minimum capability of carrying 3 Mw which for the underground system resulted in a conductor size of 2/) and for the overhead resulted in a 1/0 conductor. The underground was to be located in a common rock trench with other utilities. The overhead system was to be constructed using short spans, 200 feet or less, and be class B construction or better. The previous system was based on a preliminary layout obtained from St George which was upgraded by Polarconsult. Since that time a more detailed layout has been obtained. But it is under stood that revisions must be made as Tanaq Corporation does not like it. This new layout has increased the number of lots from 30 to 39 which requires additional construction and costs. B. Previous system cost The previous systems were of the backbone type and priced only the basic part of the system which included the distribution system, and a few transformers and secondary runs for current identified loads. The cost for step up transformers and the power plant were not included. Also not included are the transformers and services for the processors. The cost for the underground was estimated to be $191,000. The cost of the above ground system was estimated to be $75,000. C. Present system cost Since 1987 there have been some considerable increases in costs of materials. Aluminium has increased in price from 65 cent to $1.05 a pound or more. Poles have almost doubled in price. New REA standards utilizing cable with a embedded jacketed neutral have raised in price from about 70 cents to $1.50 per foot for #2 URD cable. As a result of the above and increases in the number of lots to be served the current costs for a backbone system are $252,252 for the underground system and $156,489 for the above ground system. 20 S polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study VII. Conclusions St George is a community in transition. The transition is from a paternalistic governmentally funded operation to providing services to a vital link in our State’s economy. The harbor and its associated services are designed to attract onshore industry to the State of Alaska. ECees reported 95 percent of fisheries receipts for non anadromous fish caught off the State go outside. This is in a large measure because much of the catchers and processors do not use onshore support. What St. George is doing now is developing the infrastructure to get current offshore processors to move onshore which will provide them with employment. During the transition period while the harbor and airfield are under construction and while the processors are moving in is a excellent time to utilize the skills and labor of the local residents in raising the quality of their village facilities up to a safe and efficient standard. The specific detail of the conclusions are discussed below. A. Village Efficiency Efficiency of generation is near average in this community as compared to other communities of similar size. There are very large losses occurring due to worn out cables, wires and equipment. The generation plant is not as efficient as it could be as it is operating some distance down on its rating. Operation costs are quite high but this in part is because of transitional problems between Federal type of employment to a more typical situation. Some of the other costs to the community are repayment of some $200,000 deficit at the rate of 15 cents per kilowatt hour. As a result of this repayment individual costs are very high for electricity and there are no additional revenues available to build up reserves to replace the existing system. The problem with operations costs will disappear if the City supplies power to the processors. If not supply this power the problem is more difficult to resolve. In small communities it is difficult to keep skilled people or encourage the learning of skills when full time employment cannot be provided. For St. George the situation is particularly difficult because of the isolation. Skilled people cannot easily split their time between St. George and other places of employment. Losses within the system are very high. Based on readings at the power plant the system generates some 809,540 kWH per year while the consumers were billed for 587,732 kWH in fiscal year, July 1 thru June 30, 1988. The difference is 222,000 kWH or 25.32 continuous kilowatts. Losses on a well aL polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study designed distribution system should be considerably lower and should average some where in the order of 4% or less. Because of the greater value of energy from diesel plants, distribution systems should be designed more conservatively with lower voltage drops which translates to larger conductors. Based on calculations for fuel alone, not considering capacity, the present worth value of the losses that can be saved by converting the village are about $132,000 . System construction will cost $258,800 so the difference is $126,000. Essentially, the value of the losses will pay for more than one half of a new system alone without consideration for loss of life or injury. When it is considered that the system will have to be replaced shortly in any event, because of deterioration caused by its age it would make sense to do it now. B. Village Safety The system as it is now is unsafe. There are non proper grounds, currents are flowing in the neutrals of the generators and the transformers, corrosion is rampant and breakers are not in a condition to provide reliable tripping by the breaker nearest to the fault. In addition to code violations, the system is old and has a lot of excess parts which causes confusion and is a hazard to the non journeyman electricians that have to work with Gi. The transformer housings are in buildings and structures of wood and are very liable to catch fire and burn down under faults. Because the transformers are so old some of them may have PCB’s unless they have been checked. Just because the system is underground and out of sight should not be taken to mean everything is proper and it is safe. It is concluded that the value of the losses will pay for over one half a new system, further, the value of a single life is much greater than the cost of a new system. The system needs replacing and brought up to modern maintainable standards. C. Harbor & Airport Generation At the very least, a generation plant will be needed at the harbor to run dock and street lights, shore power for transient boats, electricity for the harbor master and run the water pumps at the well. It is estimated that a engine generator near 55 kW in size will be adequate. The cost to purchase and operate such a plant will in the order of $35,000 to $40,000 per year. If the situation remained like this over 20 years the remote plant could cost as much as $400,000 on a present worth basis. 22 polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study A three phase cable operating at 7.2/12.4 kv from St George could provide power to the harbor. Such a cable is estimated to cost $330,500 but Utilities of the Northland has agreed to share a substantial portion of the cost to place their telephone cable in the trench across the island. As a result the cost to St George may be from $200,000 to $300,000. This is a one time opportunity to share costs. St George has sufficient capacity, and will have even more if the local distribution system is upgraded, to operate the harbor from the City at a low level of activity. There are several advantages to this which include a reduced capacity requirement with system diversity, less wear on equipment, better loading for the existing equipment and more waste heat for use in the City. It is estimated that the savings from generating from the town over 20 years will be about $170,000 which is near the lower cost of the cable system. The above case is not the most probable however. The City plans to generate power for the processors. Generation of the power at the harbor will result in lower cost power to the City. Provided the Cities new large power plant generates near the cost of similar sized plants in the area, the cost savings will be in excess of $40,000 each year with a present worth value in excess of $400,000. This will more than compensate for the price of the cross island cable. System diversity and reliability are other positive factors which have not been costed, but which add positive values to the above sum. The conclusion is that the cable will likely pay for itself in several ways and the opportunity is one that will not happen again. D. Harbor & Airfield Distribution Harbor and airfield distribution system will be a very vital part of supplying the services which are necessary to attract processors and other service industries to locate on shore. Although the large scale processors themselves may find it somewhat economical to generate power the smaller service organizations do not. In addition to businesses electric power will be required to run pumps for salt and fresh water, diesel and marine fuels, sewage lift stations, lights for safety for the docks and the airfield, navigational aids, provide shore power for boats when personnel have left and provide power to the harbor masters facilities. The conclusion is that electric power is more reliably and economically supplied by a central system and that it will be necessary to supply electric power if the fishing industry is to be attracted to utilize on shore facilities. 23 polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study E. Labor It is planned to do almost all of the work with local labor. Local people have been employed running heavy equipment in the construction of the harbor. The local electrician, although not licensed, has been working for some years with a licensed electrician and is very competent. Provided they get a decent backhoe, the people of St George have the equipment and manpower to construct the entire system themselves. Expert part time supervision and quality control will be needed on all of these projects. Vill. Recommendations Recommendations for specific items are detailed below. It is difficult to quantify some of the transitory things that might happen in St George. It is clear although, with steady jobs and a steady income the people will use and buy more electricity. Further if one believes that the harbor is successful, one will also believe that the City will grow and that the scenario painted in this report represents a de minimus view of the future, not the probable view. Further, people should have the right to a safe environment regardless of their income and regardless of the economics. A. Village Efficiency Village efficiency will not now pay for itself. If the village grows or the cost of oil increases the figures given are low as they are based on a static condition. it) ts recommended as a minimum that the electric system be replaced. At this time it is not recommended that anything be done with the generator, because of the huge system losses. It is better not to consider replacing machines until the new system has established a modicum of history and experience has shown the sized machine required. B. Village Safety Village safety is the single most crucial issue in this report. The system is neither efficient or safe. It needs fixing under the supervision of competent trained personnel. If this is done the local electrician can keep it up. It is recommended on a safety issue alone that the system be replaced. C. Harbor & Airport Generation A underground power system is recommended for the harbor. Considering the cost of ditching it is recommended that utilities be located in a common trench where possible. At 24 polarconsult St. George Electrical System Study this time it is not known where all of the facilities will be sited. When the first processor selects their building site and their requirements become know a master utility Plan should be prepared which provides the need framework for future. Because of costs of treatment systems, discharge lines and intakes and trenching it is important to only have to construct a facility once. D. Harbor & Airfield Distribution There is a one time opportunity to get financial help in connecting the two sides of the island. It is highly probable that there will be a large generation plant at the harbor. As a result it is recommended that a cable be constructed across the island during the summer of 1990. When consideration is given to the millions of dollars put into the harbor by the State and Federal Governments as well as all the local people’s money it makes little sense to construct a harbor with none of the amenities necessary to service the customers. It is very much in the State’s interest to get the processors to use onshore facilities. With 95% of the bottom fish value going offshore, mostly to Washington and Oregon, the State should take strong measures to encourage onshore operations in Alaska. 25) £0566 VUSV TV ‘SOVHOHONY °"3AV GUEE 183M COSL SLNVLINSNOO ADWINE ° SHOAZAUNS * SUZANIONS 24 “ou ‘eyse]e yNsUCoIBjod C) m [| 1 | || = [= APPENDIX A Field Trip Report polarconsult St. George Field Trip Report FIELD TRIP REPORT TO ST. GEORGE JANUARY 7, 1989 As required by APA contract a field trip was made to the City of St George, a Pribilof Island Village. The purpose was to investigate the village electrical distribution system for safety, efficiency and to investigate the possibility of supplying power across the island to the new Zapadini Harbor under construction. Electrical Distribution, Safety and Reliability General The village electrical distribution system was inspected Dec. 6-9, 1988 by Henry P Lang and Earle Ausman of Polarconsult Alaska together with Andy Kashevarof, the city electrician. The existing electrical generation and distribution plant and facilities are described in a field report made by the International Engineering Co. Inc. (IECO), on April 1988 (see ate =)-- This report is a detailed investigation of the facilities and lists the major safety violations and voltage drop problems together with their recommendations for corrective action. Polarconsult Alaska, in their letter dated Mar 15, 1988, reviewed the IECO field trip report and concurred with their findings and submitted an estimate to provide facilities redesign. (see att). The City Administrator, Richard Wilson, in letter dated Sept. 27, 1988, requested assistance from APA to provide Rural Technical Assistances for a new 230kw generator; village distribution system safety/reliability improvements; fire alarm system. Voltage Regulation The voltage regulation problems on the electrical distribution system were thoroughly investigated by IECO and are noted in their report. We also measured voltages and noted that the generator bus voltage was 480 volts for each phase. At selected locations we recorded the following values: Managers quarters ....... 118 volts Office and Garage ....... 117 volts Machine shop (Storage) .. 110 volts Shopping center ......... 121 volts SCHOO le rarcreretcicleteretecciietoe oe LLOSVOLCS Winter loading was light since the fish freezer operations were not in service. It is noted that the IECO report polarconsult St. George Field Trip Report recorded 138 volts at user facilities. This was very likely a power plant operation to boost the generator voltage to compensate for excessive voltage drop at remote customer locations. This is acceptable practice but when the customers close to the power plant have a voltage in excess of 126 volts, they exceed the NEMA standard voltage spread of 114-126 volts with the norm being 120 volts, i.e. a voltage spread of ti/i=meS Br The existing homes have oil fired hot water heaters and heating systems, propane fired ranges, ovens and clothes dryers. Building demand loads are less that 1 kw which is Mainly lighting and small appliances. The high electrical energy costs (34 cents a Kwh) forces economy of usage. Mr Kashevarof indicated that future housing upgrade is to convert to electric ranges, ovens and clothes dryers. With this Proposal in mind , the existing electrical distribution system is inadequate to handle the new loading. We concur with the IECO recommendation to upgrade the electrical distribution system to 12.47/7.2 kv. three phase grounded neutral. (This has been partially implanted to serve the HUD housing area and should be completed as designed by IECO.) The corrective action to remove the fused neutrals has not been done. Existing 480 Volt Distribution System Over 17 buried taped "T" taps exist on the 480 volt underground distribution system. Several of these have failed in the past and have been retaped. There is evidence of leakage currents probably due to deteriorated splice or cable insulation. Neutral current reading at the generator junction box indicated 17 amperes of leakage current. This is a hazardous condition since the leakage currents could be taking undesired ground return paths from faulty cable or splices to the generator neutral. The 480 volt distribution system is delta connected at the substation transformers and there should be no neutral currents attributed to this system other than due to faults. The neutral current consumes 4.7 kw of energy. This energy loss costs the community $380 in fuel per month. This is another reason to replace the antiquated distribution system. Several 480 volt transformer substations were inspected and it was noted that the transformers were properly bonded to ground. This was not the case with several 120/240 volt fused feeder switches. The general layout of the substation service Ppanelboards indicated unplanned additions which makes service identification difficult (see photos). The buried cables are not marked on the As-built drawings from surveyed locations. This makes it difficult to locate the cables for repairs or to prevent digins when new lines are to be placed. polarconsult St. George Field Trip Report System Coordination Failure of fuses/circuit breakers to trip in sequence under fault conditions indicates lack of coordination or possible hangup of circuit breakers. This is an unacceptable situation and can only be corrected by short circuit current analyses under fault conditions at different locations in the distribution system. Even so, this would require a load/fault/time check of the old circuit breakers. This is not practical under the present circumstances and replacement action might be a better solution. Further analyses is indicated here. Specific instances are noted for record as follows: © A digin on the 480 volt feeder while placing a 7.2 kv cable resulted in a short circuit that failed to trip the power plant feeder circuit breaker; failed to trip the generator main circuit breaker and caused the generator to shut down on engine overload (engine governor operation). This happened on two occasions. o A short circuit on a portable cord connected to a school receptacle outlet failed to trip the 120 volt branch circuit breaker; failed to blow the substation 120/208 volt fuse; failed to trip the power plant 480 volt feeder circuit breaker and did trip the generator main 480 volt circuit breaker. © The school secondary service from substation T3 has power failures at least every month. This may be due to an overload condition since the school was expanded from the original small building. o The secondary services from substation T10 experience unscheduled power failure due to blown fuses. The cause is unknown. o Fault conditions are not every day occurrences. Never the less, indications are that age factor has seriously affected the circuit protection coordination and is another reason to consider upgrading the distribution system as recommended by IECO. Building Service Grounding The existing building main services are grounded thru a #6 cu. ground wire connected to the building water pipe inside the building. The current National Electrical Code requires the Main service be connected to an exterior ground electrode in addition to the water pipe (see par 250-81la). The proposal to install new building service panelboards would eliminate a polarconsult St. George Field Trip Report potential safety hazard by providing a good ground return path to assure ground fault protection under fault conditions. General Observations Weather conditions at St George island cause severe salt ocean spray corrosion. The building metering cabinets are severely corroded. The new 150 kva pad mounted transformer could not be inspected due to rust seized lock and handle. Street light support brackets on the concrete poles are severely corroded and in several instances the brackets have fallen off the pole. Conduits embedded inside concrete walls are corroded and the wire insulation shows signs of deterioration. Corrosive atmosphere corrective action would require mounting the metering cabinets under a protective cover or using stainless steel or plastic cabinets. Treat rusted surfaces annually with a phosphate solution and repaint; grease all hinges and handles with "no knox" penetration. The materials for extending the 7.2kv underground distribution system are on hand (see att. list). Work will proceed to install the system as funds become available. Consideration should be given to improve the 7.2kv distribution system reliability by installing a second stepup transformer at the power plant and closing the 7.2kv loop at the midpoint service transformer thru a "parked" primary cable elbow connector. The secondary buried cables at the HUD housing area are having frost heave problems causing power failures. The seasonal frost penetration is approximately 2 feet. Future cables should be buried at least 3 feet in this area. Recommendations Based on our observations and review of the IECO and Polarconsult reports, we strongly recommend that the existing 480 volt distribution system be abandoned and the 7.2kv distribution system similar to that shown in the IECO report be extended to cover the remaining areas. Detailed drawings should be prepared to show the alignment of the secondary buried service cables and points of service entrances, metering location and ground rod locations for service grounding. The City is proposing to install water lines in the summer of 1989. Design drawings should be prepared to coordinate all utility work for cable placement as one operation in order to avoid digins to existing facilities. ratrecl APOC - Sf Beers © ep, To: Susan Knowles, Chairman September 13, 1988 Ape 7 -L From: Michael Tavella, Utility Engineer Iv fr cert trate Subject: U-86-65, City of St. George J ror rs! Cyecece Fy 16 SiR. ~ Recommendation Qn Llectve £7” * The Commission Staff (Staff) recommends conditional approval of the application for certificate ef public convenience and neces- sity by the City of St. George (St. George or the city) to fur- nish electric service within the area described on Exhibit A (at- tached). Staff believes that the City is operationally fit, willing and able to provide electric service. However, the elec- tric system does not meet the minimum standards set by the state. Until the deficiencies are fully corrected, Staff cannot recom- mend permanent certification. Background On July 16, 1986, St. George filed an application for a certifi- cate of public convenience and necessity to operate as an elec- tric public utility on the island of St. George. The application was noticed to the public on August 6, 1986, with a closing date for comments of September 6, 1986. To date, no comments have been received. Since that time, Staff has analyzed the utility operation. On August 8, 1987, Staff recommended that the Commis- sion approve St. George's application. The Commission did not act at that meeting because the Commission needed additional in- formation on the utilities finances and the state of St. George's electric system vis-a-vis the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC). Staff requested the utility to provide the additional information. On June 28, 1988, St. George filed adequate infor- mation to allow the application be processed. Public Convenience and Necessity In October, 1983, the Federal Government transferred title and ownership of the electric facilities in st. George to the city at no cost. Since that time, the city has been providing continuous electric service to 84 residential and commercial customers and 3 community facilities. Inasmuch as the City has been providing service, and that continued service is required by the public, Staff believes that the public convenience and necessity has been demonstrated in this case. Fitness, Willingness, and Ability Plant The power plant was completed in 1961, and contains three 125 kva Caterpillar engines and one 3406 Caterpillar engine, which re- placed a 375 kva Fairbanks Morse unit. The generators are con- nected three phase and have individual control panels. In April of 1985, the City installed a ground grid around its plant after -1- ye 650) it discovered that the power plant system was not grounded. The City also installed a waste heat recovery system at the time it installed the Caterpillar engine. The waste heat system provided all of the heat for the city offices and the machine shop. Distribution System The original distribution system, which provided service to the entire city, consisted of a 480 volt industrial type distribution system with 4 residential substations and 9 commercial substa- tions. A typical substation consists of a transformer that con- verts the 480 volt distribution voltage to 120/240 volts for household use or 120/208 volts for some commercial applications. The substations are a mix of single phase and three phase. In 1984, the City hired International Engineering Company, Inc. (IECO), to inspect the system. IECO's inspection revealed several hazardous conditions within the substations, e.g. fusing ef neutrals, undersizing conductors, oversizing circuit breakers and improper disconnection configurations. Additionally, the entire system suffered from the inadequacies for a 480 volt dis- tribution system, i.e. low voltage, flicker, transients and over- loading of circuits. Staff requested that the utility address these problems as part of its review of the application. On April 13, 1987, the City filed a progress report regarding the upgrading of the distribution system. The report indicated that in addition to the generation improvements discussed above, St. George has also developed a plan to correct the problems inherent in the 480 volt distribution system. It appears that the City has taken immediate steps to correct the serious code violations, i.e. improper fusing. The overall plan calls for replacing the existing system with a new 7.2 kV system, which has become the standard for rural dis- tributions systems. It appears that the city will be doing the work in phases, depending on funding availability. The downtown area is scheduled to be converted first to the new systen. a have been purchased and should be installed in the near future. St George believes that the industrial feeder substations are an asset at this time due to the sectionalizing capabilities and are net considered a priority for conversion. The uptown area is planned for upgrade to 7.2 kv when funding becomes available. The city connected a new subdivision in 1984/85 using a 7.2 kV System. This system was designed to accommodate sectionalizing and allows for expansion into the downtown area. Finally, the City is planning to install a second power plant transformer to act as a backup for the primary plant transformer. On June 28, 1988, the City filed a letter from Mr. Gary Craig, an electrical contractor. The letter states that the system has not been fully brought up to meet the NESC and that this work is scheduled for 1989-1990. Because of this, Staff cannot recommend REPORT FOR CITY OF ST. GEORGE POWER GENERATION & DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM PROJECT NO. 4704 Prepared By: INTERNATIONAL ENGINEERING COMPANY, IN. ARCTIC DISTRICT OFFICE P.O. BOX 6410, 813 "Dp" STREET ANCHORAGE, ALASKA 99502 JUNE 1984 —_—- SYNOPSIS In April, 1984, International Engineering Company, Inc. performed a field inspection of the existing electrical generation and distribution facilities on St. George Island in the Pribilof Islands for the purpose of evaluating the existing system and making recommendations based on current development plans. Additional generators should be added to the existing powerplant and the Fairbanks Morse 300 kW unit should be retired. ‘These additions and retirements are listed in CAPITAL PROJECTS with the associated costs in CAPITAL COSTS. The distribution system is deficient in several respects, including poor voltage regulation, improper service voltages, and various code violations. Immediate recommendations to limit fire hazard include additional overcurrent- Protection for the industrial feeder and removal of fuses from all neutral conductors. Additional improvements are listed in CAPITAL PROJECTS with the associated cost in CAPITAL COSTS. ST. GEORGE MATERIAL INVENTORY j-- ~~~: oe = Quantity Description Unit cost Total Cost 7 25 kw 220/120 single $1,100.00 $ 7,700.00 phase transformer 40 load break elbows 25.00 1,000.00 25 parking stand 34.00 850.00 2 insulating caps 40.00 440.00 19 transformer tern- 20.00 380.00 inal hook-ups 10 transformer ground 3.00 30.00 clamps a ground rods 5.00 20.00 Ls ground rod clamps 5.00 75.00 4 rolls burial tape caution 45.00 180.00 12 100 AMP 10 meter 150.00 1,800.00 base with meter - 220/120 single phase 1 spool 1500 ft 25kw #2 1,275.00 1,275.00 cable 1 spool No. 2 USE Triplex - 690.00 690.90 3 wire conductor Total $14,440.00 Dn polarconsult APPENDIX B St George Electrical Loads (i AEE EE ehh i TM lL LL, ME OE (mt Tene nares Froese! SenereO ay i TET LLY ST GEORGE LOADS January 1, 1988 @ a multiplier of 192 kW ST GEORGE LOADS Late summer 1988 @ a multiplier of 192 kW polarconsuit St. George Electrical System Study APPENDIX C City Construction Cost Estimate ST. GEORGE ESTIMATE, CITY 02/23/89 Pg. 1 of 2 ITEM | NUMBER | UNIT | $/Unit | $ TOTAL | erm errno senna n-a- | paneer reen | cern nnn | ee ----- - - - -- $$ === PRIMARY LOOPS, 3P | | | | | Hud-Zap Sec | 1120 | ft | $8.95 | $10,024 | Zap-Store | 170 | ft | $8.95 | $1,521 | Store-PowerP | 2460 | fen $8.95 | $22,017 | | | | | | WEST LOOP | | | | | Primary, 3P | 1270 | fc) | $8.95 | $11,367 | N. Primary,1P | 600 | ft | $5.73 | $3,438 | N.Sec, Common | 530 | ft | $3.68 | $1,950 | N.Sec,New | SS | ft | $4.94 | $272 | N.Sec, Wire | 1085 | ft | $0.71 | $770 | S.Primary, 1P | 600 | ft | $5.73 | $3,438 | N.Sec, Common | 605 | £t | $3.68 | $2,226 | N.Sec,New | 275 | ft | $4.94 | $1,359 | N.Sec,Wire | 880 | fe) $0.71 | $625 | Transformers | 71 25kVA | $1,450.00 | $10,150 | I> | | | | | | | | | EAST LOOP | | | | | Primary, 1P | 1430 | ft | $5.73 | $8,194 | Sec, Common | 570 | fe) | $3.68 | $2,098 | Sec. New | 780 | ft | $4.94 | $3,853 | Sec. Wire | 1410 | ft | $0.71 | $1,001 | Transformers | 1] 1SkVA | $1,350.00 | $1,350 | | onl 25kVA | $1,450.00 | $4,350 | | 1 | 37.S5kVA | $1,780.00 | $1,780 | | | | | | Transformers | | | | | Hud | 1 | 1S5kVA | $1,350.00 | $1,350 | Store, 3P | 1 | SOkVA | $6,475.00 | $6,475 | Mach+ Blub,3P_ | 1 | SOkVA | $6,475.00 | $6,475 | Carpenter | Oo | | | $o | City Hall | oO | | | $0 | Equip Store | 0 | | | $0 | Church+Whse | 11 15kVA | $1,350.00 | $1,350 | Fish Process | Oo | | | $0 | PowerHouse | 1 | 150kVA | $8,700.00 | $8,700 | | | | | | CONNECTIONS | | | | | Houses | 46 | Ea | $700.00 | $32,200 | Store | 1 | Ea | $2,000.00 | $2,000 | Mach, Blub | oa Ea | $1,000.00 | $1,000 | Hospital | 11 Ea | $900.00 | $900 | Sect -Zap | 1 | Ea | $900.00 | $900 | Community Hall | al Ea | $900.00 | $900 | School | aa Ea | $900.00 | $900 | Church-Whse 1 1 | Ea | $800.00 | $800 | Sectionalizers | 4 | Ea | $2,000.00 | $8,000 | | | | | | CROSSINGS | 10 | Ea | $252.00 | $2,520 | polarconsult APPENDIX D Harbor Distribution Construction Cost Estimate Underground System 03/13/89 ST. GEORGE ESTIMATE, HARBOR DISTRIBUTION Rg. Liof|1 Underground System 03/13/89 ITEM NUMBER UNIT $/Unit $ TOTAL | ------------ | PRIMARY SYSTEM | | | | | | | | | | | | | Sectionalizers | 6 | ea | $1,500.00 | $9,000 | Cable, Material | 33,389 | ft | $1.50 | $50,083 | Cable, Install | 33,389 | ft | $0.27 | $8,904 | Cable, Freight | 1 | l.s. | $3,338.88 | $3,339 | Trench ("E") | 10,545 | ft | $5.00 | $52,725 | Transformers | 3 || ea | $3,500.00 | $10,500 | Misc, splices, tools| il l.s. | $4,000.00 | $4,000 | | | | | | Engineering | ay] l.s. | $8,500.00 | $8,500 | Supervision | 1.5 | months | $7,500.00 | $11,250 | soeeeeoeeoesecoenesee [| || Subtotal | | I | $158,301 | | | | | | Contingencies | | | 15%] $23,745 | we mmewowwoenen see nnse a a | Total | | | | $182,046 | ITEM | NUMBER | UNIT | $/Unit | $ TOTAL | woer eer e sore en=---==- | eeeeoese= | eames | eon wn nnn | mown nnn nn nnm | SECONDARY SYSTEM | | | | | Sectionalizers | Ty ea | $1,500.00 | $1,500 | Cable, Material (27s) | fc | $1.50 | $17,597 | Cable, Install | 11,731 | fe 1 $0.27 | $3,128 | Cable, Freight | Lil Lees. Sle tvccve |i $1,173) | Trench ("E") | 3,705 | ¢- | $5.00 | $18,525 | Transformers | 34 ea | $3,500.00 | $10,500 | Misc, splices, tools| Zz) | l.s. | $1,000.00 | $1,000 | | | | | | Engineering | a l.s. | $2,000.00 | $2,000 | Supervision | 0.75 | months | $7,500.00 | $5,625 | Same aseecece—s———— aaa ef eneenettniocmen | comeererpemenenen | eremisenmannneermater | ayineenntiagpnenicteint| Subtotal | | | | $61,048 | | | | | | Contingencies | | | 15%] $9,157 | eae aaa | Seer cieenenie | somerenmeniiones | eeemmenenninnmensnan | seameonemnenmnieneee Total | | | | $70,206 | Total Primary + Secondary System Costs $252, 252 Overhead Distribution System 03/13/89 ST. GEORGE ESTIMATE, HARBOR DISTRIBUTION Pg. lof 1 Overhead Distribution System 03/13/89 ITEM NUMBER UNIT $/Unit $ TOTAL | PRIMARY SYSTEM | | | | | | | | | | | | | Switches | 6 | ea | $200.00 | $1,200 | Cable, Material | 32,160 | fe, | $0.30 | $9,648 Cable, Install | 32,160 | ft | $0.10 | $3,216 | Cable, Freight | a} l.s. | $3,216.04 | $3,216 | Poles, Guys | 61 | ea | $770.00 | $47,138 Transformers | <a ea | $3,500.00 | $10,500 | Misc, splices, tools| aa l.s. | $5,500.00 | $5,500 | | | | | | Engineering | Ll l.s. | $9,500.00 | $9,500 Supervision | 0.5 | months | $7,500.00 | $3,750 | Se emewoor eon eesesee== fee crermence | eererrorener | emer | <eecnnmenennenes | Subtotal | | | | $93,668 | | | | | | Contingencies | | | 15%| $14,050 | mer roroecoeenssesono= | eomooooce | eomecnnns | eoccenceces | onesceccase= | Total | | | | $107,718 | ITEM | NUMBER | UNIT | $/Unit | $ TOTAL | mr ewr soo eno sre sesen-= J coco coan | oommeence | eoneseewecnn | conmeeceseses | SECONDARY SYSTEM | | | | | Switches | zr | ea | $200.00 | $200 | Cable, Material | 11,544 | ft | $0.30 | $3,463 Cable, Install | 11,544 | ft | $0.10 | $1,154 Cable, Freight | 1 | l.s. | $1,154.40 | $1,154 | Poles, Guys | a2| ea | $770.00 | $16,562 | Transformers | a | ea | $3,500.00 | $10,500 Misc, splices, tools| a | l.s. | $5,500.00 | $5,500 | | | | | Engineering | 1 | l.s. | $2,000.00 | $2,000 | Supervision | 0.25 | months | $7,500.00 | $1,875 | an Senencheneneneemenananne te | ealanemnes | uiekernenionme [amubennsiinomntene | ae aamgpoamamanas | Subtotal | | | | $42,409 | | | | | Contingencies | | | 15%] $6,361 | Hoe macwee nS eamamams f cretrerecerrereteee |e enereeeaay | ianaicininniatancanear | anetiummnenmmmmnntnes | Total | | | | $48,770 | Total Primary + Secondary System Costs $156,489 ST. GEORGE ESTIMATE, ACROSS ISLAND ITEM | NUMBER www wn wn www wn ow wo we ow we ee 1 eee ee ee CABLE ACROSS ISLAND | Sectionalizers | 6 Cable, Material | 75000 Cable, Install | 75000 Cable, Freight | a: | Trench ("0") | 12000 Trench ("E") | 12000 | Misc, splices, tools! 1 | SECTION - AIRPORT TO WELL Cable, Material | 10000 Cable, Install | 10000 Trench ("E") | 3300 | Engineering | ae Supervision | 2 een on ooo oo oe ee ee eee | eee Subtotal | | Contingencies | | | 03/13/89 $9,000 $112,500 $20,000 $7,500 $18,000 $60,000 $6,000 $15,000 $3,000 $16,500 $5,000 $15,000 $287,500 $43,125 $330,625