Watson Creek Substation

Watson Creek Substation

PROJECT SNAPSHOT

Project Name |  Watson Creek Substation

Owner | Altalink

Client’s Name | Burns and McDonnell

Location | near Jasper, AB

Date / Project Timeline / Delivery | November 2019 to June 2019. The project was completed in 8 months and on time.

Market Sector | Utilities

BACKGROUND (Pre-Project Commencement)

This project was initiated to improve system reliability by interconnecting AltaLink and ATCO systems through a 138 KV to 69 KV connection via two transformers.

The single biggest challenge involved the confined workspace, which impacted our ability to stage and execute the deliverables to our usual degree of efficiency. In addition, the station expansion had to be meticulously coordinated to accommodate ATCO and Kinder Morgan outage availability.

Once on-site, we also discovered that the fill beneath the pad (constructed previous to our involvement) used aggregate that was larger than the AltaLink specification.

ACTION (ICONIC’s Scope & Delivery)

There were extensive reporting and documentation requirements on this project. ICONIC’s rigorous project management processes allowed us to meet the client’s request for daily, weekly and monthly submittals. The scope included:

1. Watson Creek 104S expansion

  • Construction of 530L to an interconnection point with ATCO Electric’s 6L530
  • Installation of foundations, structures, protections, and cabling
  • Installation of two (2) 138/69 25 MVA auto transformers
  • Installation of circuit breakers, bus, motorized and manual disconnect switches, and motor operator addition
  • Commissioning and testing

2. Cold Creek 602S & Bickerdike 39S

  • Change relay settings
  • Addition of alternative group settings for a bypass switch close condition between 615L and 847L
  • Recommissioning as necessary

RESULT / SOLUTION

Due to the restricted space, the ICONIC team was required to change our standard processes – working sequentially rather than concurrently. The depth of our field staff allowed us to cross-shift, and quickly return to the baseline schedule. ICONIC’s earthworks operators and laborers pitched in to help us hit ISD.

Subcontractor management and communication was critical for the overall success of the project. ICONIC’s ability to adapt to any circumstances allowed us successfully complete this project on-time, with no significant incidents.