As part of our ongoing partnership with a major electric utility in the Midwest, KCI was involved in installing a new transformer bank at the Miamitown Distribution Substation and routing a new circuit for the city.
This substation was previously a single-bank facility with one circuit supplying power to the city. However, the existing circuit was becoming overloaded, prompting the need to expand the substation to accommodate the new circuit and effectively distribute the load throughout the region.
The entire project encompassed nine work orders, each with varying scopes of service. Most of these work orders focused on updating and upgrading the existing overhead distribution system in the city to support the new circuit and relieve the load on the existing circuit. Additionally, the work included reorganizing the substation’s feeding system and determining how the new circuit would exit the substation and cross the Greater Miami River, which presented several challenges.
After conducting a thorough series of field visits, KCI discovered that the original site selected by the electric utility would not comply with the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC) or electric utility’s standards. After addressing this issue with stakeholders, our team was tasked with identifying a suitable location that would allow both circuits to cross the river. KCI proposed a site south of the existing crossing, which the client accepted. However, this new location required easements from several homeowners in the area and was situated within a FEMA Flood Zone. KCI then engaged with affected utility customers and landowners to secure the necessary easements on the utility’s behalf. Furthermore, as the new crossing was in a flood zone, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was called upon to approve KCI’s final design.
Following approval, the river crossing component of this project was completed and KCI continues to support the electric utility in this area.
