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Substation Upgrade/Repairs
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DESCRIPTION: A request for Powell Electrical Systems to repair the substation circuit breaker and components. |
AGENDA NO: Click or tap here to enter text. |
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ACTION REQUEST: ☒ Approval ☐ Review Comment ☐ Information Only ☐ Other |
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Authorize the Chief Executive Officer to award a contract to Powell Electrical Systems to repair three operationally essential substations at a cost not to exceed $1,046,565.00.
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ISSUE/BACKGROUND:
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Our substations that receive incoming AC power from Entergy and converts it to DC power for streetcar use is approaching half of its useful life of 40-50 years and parts are starting to fail with no replacement parts available such as circuit breakers, which work as a protection device that controls the flow of electricity using an internal switch that trips when there is excessive current in the circuit from an overload or a short circuit. This procurement will be a part of an ongoing program as new components are released. Without this critical procurement streetcar service will become limited and may be cancelled due to substation failures.
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DISCUSSION:
The substations that require heavy repairs were manufactured as follows: Dublin (06/2007), Valance (08/2007), and Calliope (12/2006). On 9-28-23 three of our six circuit breakers were sent to the manufacturer (Powell Electrical Systems) for repairs due to failures and it was discovered repairs could not be made due to the age of the breakers and parts becoming obsolete in 2019 (See AttD-ETB-0015). Proprietary rights to this equipment are held by Powell Electrical Systems (See AttA- 259159-SAE-FO-0037). Powell Electrical Systems has worked on a retrofit system to bring our current substations up to date to accept the available circuit breakers with delivery of the complete package estimated at 80 weeks (See 259159-Proposal section 6 page 8 for table). Along with this retrofit system, our Mechanical Operation Disconnect (MOD) will be upgraded to accept the new circuit breakers. Currently, our substations are producing limited power due to operating on 1 circuit breaker per substation and if failed it could cause the St. Charles streetcar line to shut down until equipment is received. The lead time for the circuit breakers is 80 weeks after issuance of purchase order which would currently be January of 2026 for repairs. The RTA was awarded funds through LA-2023-001 ALI 12.14.30 to make repairs to streetcars.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Funding is available through grant funding (LA-2021-028 ALI 12.42.06), the total estimated cost of this equipment repair/retrofit is $1,046,565.00 which will be funded by the grant mentioned above.
NEXT STEPS:
When approved to proceed, the team will issue a purchase order and notify Powell Electrical Systems to proceed.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Resolution
2. Routing Sheet
3. AttD-ETB-0015
4. AttA- 259159-SAE-FO-0037
5. 259159-Proposal
6. Independent Cost Estimate
Prepared By: Floyd Bailey Jr
Title: Director of Rail Maintenance
Reviewed By: Ryan Moser
Title: Chief Asset Management Officer
Reviewed By: Gizelle Banks
Title: Chief Financial Officer
7/2/2024
Lona Edwards Hankins Date
Chief Executive Officer