CUC breaks ground on SMB substation
(L-R) Sacha Tibbetts, Jason Burke and Richard Hew of CUC, and Hans Czeslik of Siemens at the groundbreaking
(CNS Local Life): Caribbean Utilities Company (CUC) recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Seven Mile Beach (SMB) substation. The SMB corridor will get “enhanced reliability and sustainability” when the new gas insulated switchgear (GIS) substation is completed, which is expected by the third quarter next year, stated a CUC press release.
Construction of the 69/13 kilovolt (kV) substation, which will cost about $14 million, will be CUC’s first substation to incorporate medium voltage (MV) GIS technology and the first of its kind in this region, CUC said in the release, adding it will “further increase safety and system reliability and will accommodate load growth within the Seven Mile Beach area for decades to come”.
The substation is being built behind Burger King and the H&B Esso Station on West Bay Road. The contractor, Siemens, will be working with local contractors on the project. The new substation will be placed 12 feet above sea level with modern architecture that will offer significant hurricane resilience, the release said.
CUC president and CEO Richard Hew said of the project, “The plan for this new substation was conceived many years ago, but due to various circumstances including the past recession, the project was delayed.
‘I am pleased that we are now at the point where all of the design, planning, and permitting work done by our engineering team and vendors is completed and we can finally break ground for another project which will bring significant benefits to our customers.”
CUC senior project manager Jason Burke added, “With the new Foster’s Food Fair supermarket being built next door and the Kimpton Seafire Resort and Spa and Camana Bay expanding, this new substation will increase our capacity to serve the central Seven Mile Beach area and provide load relief and backup to the Hydesville Substation in West Bay.”
CUC has seven substations within the areas of North Sound, South Sound, Frank Sound, Prospect, Bodden Town, Rum Point and West Bay.
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