North East based, Slaters Electricals Ltd, have supplied and installed a 35 MVA transformer as part of an infrastructure upgrade to the La Collette Power Station on the island of Jersey.
A major planned infrastructure upgrade, which involved the installation of two 11MW Sulzer Diesel generators, was given fresh impetus last summer when one of Jersey Electricity’s two interconnectors failed permanently and more on-Island generation was required for the forthcoming winter.
With the Sulzer Diesels already installed on site, a step-up generator transformer was needed quickly to allow a 33kV system connection, which would increase the capability of the Power Station before the onset of winter.
Slaters had the 35 MVA transformer in stock. It was overhauled and re-engineered by an expert team of engineers at the Slaters factory in Blaydon, and was then installed on site in Jersey by the Slaters installation team. The transformer gives the client the reliability of supply, and is guaranteed for three years.
The re-engineered transformer also provided a very quick turnaround for the client. A new 35 MVA transformer would typically take many months to build, whereas the re-engineered 35 MVA unit from Slaters only took a matter of weeks for the order to be installed on site.
This was one of the most complex projects ever undertaken by Slaters Electricals due to the logistics of transporting the 60-tonne transformer from the Slaters factory to the Power Station in Jersey.
Slaters project manager Gary Atkinson said: “This was a logistically challenging project but we were able to supply, overhaul, transport and install the transformer to the client’s exact specifications and time frame.
‘We were one of only a few companies who could supply such a large transformer, and it has been a real pleasure working with Jersey Electricity on such an important project for the Island.”
Jersey Electricity’s Chief Engineer John Duquemin said; “Due to the loss of our first interconnector cable to France, Jersey Electricity had to increase our on-Island generation capacity quickly.
When the project to acquire and install the two replacement 11MW Sulzer Diesel Gen Sets was conceived, we had planned to reuse a 30MVA Steam Turbine Gen Transformer for the step-up connection to the 33 kV system but this was needed to supply base load, hence we required a suitable 11/33kV transformer at short notice.
The lead time for specification, tender and delivery on a new unit would have missed the requirement for generation from November 2012. After contacting a number of sources we found Slaters had a second-hand unit suitable for our needs.
With a few modifications the unit was quickly overhauled, shipped and installed in Jersey just in time to allow us to connect and commission to take power from the Diesel Gen Sets in late November.
Thanks to Slaters stock and timely engineering, the 22MW Diesel project was able to deliver flexible, efficient power to the customers in Jersey before the cold weather set in.”
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