The 26.4kv upgrade was supposed to be discussed back in February but it got pulled from the agenda. However, tonight it is back on and the city wants to proceed with the 26.4kv voltage that is non-standard. Jack Borsch, our Utility director has said that "looking at the industry it is moving to the 26K systems more and more. It has grown to about 20+ % of the companies having made the conversion over to 26K."
Back in the Fall of 2014, the city went out on two RFQ's:
RFQ-13-14-403 to get the economic and financial value of our Electric Utility System.
RFQ 13-14-402 to ascertain the fair market value/appraisal of our Electric Utility System. Normally ones does this when they are contemplating a sale.
Back in May 2015:
RFP 15-201 to get the specifications for a new power plant anywhere from 65MW to 150MW. According to the city's web site, it was cancelled on November 20, 2015. Was the entire idea scratched?
9-2-15 Minutes from the EUAB to proceed with RFP 15-201.
12-2-15 Minutes from the EUAB where a presentation was given on the 26.4kv upgrade and recommended by that board to proceed to the commission.
Basically, we were all over the place back then--no one knew what to do with our electric utility other than just us regular citizens who were never asked. Staff wanted to ascertain the value of our asset, including analyses of what total sale price the City would have to receive for its Electric Utility System in order to be as well off, economically and financially, as if we were still the owner and operating the System. I agree that we should know what our assets are worth.
But now there are some on staff who want to bring back the upgrade of our voltage to 26.4kv. Is this January 2006 all over again? How about 2010? Nothing ever changes. This is what happens. New administrations, new staff, new utility directors, old plans, new commissions--and no one remembers anything or what all we went through to stay on the path to "standard." Did we now find out that that value of our utility is far less than hoped?
Why are we even thinking of discussing a 26.4kv upgrade again?
We failed to complete the 13.2 kv upgrade project approved and funded by the 2004 Utility Bond.
Work on the 13.2 kV upgrade project was suspended in June of 2005, well before completion, after spending millions in material and man hours. The City Commission never approved halting the 13.2 conversion, nor was the public ever informed.
The standard is a 13.2kv. In 2001, a capital improvements program was put into effect for the electric utility. Per the former chair of the Electric Utility Task Force, Garrison Electric did the feasibility study and two PE engineers signed off on a standard upgrade path that would be compatible with all the surrounding utility companies and 99% of the rest of the country. Taxpayers invested about 5 million into the upgrade.
Then there was a Black and Veatch Study that confirmed the findings of the Garrison report which recommended a standard distribution voltage for Lake Worth. Somewhere around 2003, there was a study done by RW Beck on the feasibility
of a second tie line. That "study" mysteriously disappeared just like the Garrison Report...the utility staff couldn't find this $325,000 RW Beck
study which concluded that a second tie line was not feasible.
Back in 2010, the city wanted to do the following:
- 138 kv Tie Line Addition:$4,041,150 over the next 2 years
- 4kv system upgrade: $13,522,000 over next 4 years
- Hand held Meter reading devices: $65,000 next budget
- 26kv OCB Replacement:$368,000 next budget
The original bond amount was $69,975,000 An expert on our Utility said, "FPL refuses to permit another tie, either to their line on Military Trail or north of 18th Avenue North." This new proposal puts the new 138 kv tie-line at the Canal Sub-Station. A full explanation is in order here.
A former contract employee at the Utility said, "The manual labor required to convert to 26kv is approx 5 - 10 times as much money as the conversion to 13.2kv. And that increase in labor will far outweigh the cost of new substation transformers." We have no idea what they are doing at our Utility but at the time, our former Utility Director, Becky Mattey said that the Commission will have no say on whether they go with 4kv, 13.2 or 26kv.
Perhaps the Electric Utility Advisory Board has called for a full accounting of the 2004 Bond money--where did it go? There should be millions. Why hasn't the Internal Auditor ever been directed to do an audit of our Utility?
We need to know what's going on and why some are hell bent on resurrecting a 26.4 kv upgrade when it was proven years ago that this was NOT the way to proceed and it could/would bankrupt our city. Why are some pushing this system? Is the $14 plus million dollars (remaining bond proceeds) burning a hole in their pocket?
Where I live, I am on the 4.16kv and it is always reliable. Tonight, in spite of years of testimony against the 26.4kv, it will be voted in.
3 comments:
They're going to do this because no one knows what in the hell they are doing.
".....The 26.4kv upgrade was supposed to be discussed back in February but it got pulled from the agenda. However, tonight it is back on and the city wants to proceed with the 26.4kv voltage that is non-standard. Jack Borsch, our Utility director has said that "looking at the industry it is moving to the 26K systems more and more. It has grown to about 20+ % of the companies having made the conversion over to 26K......."
This is a lie and one that is easily proved. Three companies in all of America run a 26.4kV system voltage: Seattle City Lights, Jacksonville Electric Association and Lake Worth. Why? Because to use 26.4kV and its 6% over-voltage are the threshold for mandatory use of 34kV devices. All manufactures limit their switches, switch-gear, etc to 27kV. And while Lake Worth's nominal voltage is 26.4kV, it actual value is 26.4kV plus the 6% permitted as over-voltage or 28kV. This also means that all underground cable througout the city will need to be upgraded to 34kV as well as all insulation.
The only voltage that will not exceed the 13.2kV as stated in the union contract is 12.47kV.....which is also the voltage that 90%++ of all utilities in the nation use.
Ask your utility director if he can go to his neighbor (FPL) and borrow a 26.4kV substation transformer. The answer is no because FPL has none. FPL and all other utilities in Florida use either 22.9kV or 24.9kV as their high voltage feeder voltage because it does not violate the 27kV manufacture threshold. If he says otherwise, he is either not telling the truth (as was his predecessor George Adair, or he has absolutely no idea of what he is talking about).
Annon 1:07 you are correct anyone that knows the business knows this does not work. Mixing your Transmission feeds to the substations and making then making the distribution the same voltage is proof they have no clue. Most utilities use 12.5 KV, 13.2 KV or 13.8 KV for distribution along with the 4 KV we have on the majority of our substations. Glad we have so much money we can keep making changes. Come on people lets wake up. I Mean our asst Director was a dispatcher with 0 engineering or utility work experience. The Director is a power plant engineer. we lost our experienced and qualified Substation man now as well. We just keep going in circles
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