Explanation
This legislation authorizes the Director of Finance and Management to enter into a contract with AEP T&D Services, LLC for the Department of Public Utilities, Division of Power. The contract will provide for the design, purchase, installation, and commissioning of the relay equipment at the Dublin Ave. Substation in an amount not to exceed $675,000.00.
American Electric Power (AEP) has two 138kv lines feeding into the Dublin Ave. Substation (138-92 & 138-98) from AEP’s Vine Street Substation. These lines were originally protected by a pilot wire system. This system is obsolete and now is out of service. AEP has revised its other protective relay settings at the Vine Street Substation (to make the relays more sensitive) to compensate for the lack of a functioning pilot wire system. The Division of Power normally operates with a close ring bus, but with no pilot wire protection on the 138kv lines. AEP has required the Division of Power to open two of the six ring bus breakers to isolate the 138kv lines. This puts the Dublin Ave. Substation in jeopardy of increased system outages.
Dublin Ave. Substation is currently at an increased risk of outages because these protective devices are not in place. There was an outage in August 2016 that would have been prevented if the relays were in service. There was an agreement with AEP that the Division of Power would complete the new current differential protection system expeditiously as it could also have a negative impact to AEP system.
AEP is the entity that physically transmits power to the Dublin Ave. Substation. The Division of Power’s relaying equipment needs to communicate with the AEP’s relaying at the Vine Street Substation. Having AEP involved in this will ensure that similar equipment and settings will be installed at Vine Street Substation and Dublin Ave. Substation.
The Division of Power is required by the existing ILDSA to have protection on these two 138kv lines. AEP’s present standard is a f...
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