Turnkey Transformer Replacement

Project Title: Turnkey Transformer Replacement Program
Agency: Pacific Gas & Electric
Location: California Central Coast Region

Scope of work:
The Turnkey Transformer Replacement Program was a pilot platform created out of the necessity to update and replace PG&E’s existing subsurface and pad-mounted transformers in the Central Coast Region of California.  This required the removal and replacement of existing enclosure and the remove and replacement of the existing transformers, ranging from 25KVa to 300KVa.  

Challenges:
-Short timeline with a large quantity of transformers.
-Required major coordination between MGE civil and electric crews, commercial and private customers, multiple cities, and the PG&E outage coordinators.

Solutions/Results:
-Scheduled all transformer clearances and implemented “pre-dig crews” to excavate the sites utilizing vacuum equipment a few days prior to the scheduled clearance.
-To keep MGE on schedule, a process was implemented that consisted of our electrical crews pulling the existing transformers, the civil crews would then come in to remove and replace the enclosures, and the electrical crews would finish it up by installing the new transformer.  
-With up to 6 clearances per day, and up to 20 clearances per week, MGE completed the project on-time and installed a total of 250 replacements from October to December of 2013.