CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Approve the award of Bid 26-124, 34.5-12.47 kV Power Transformer to WEG Transformer USA LLC for an amount not to exceed $4,096,400 plus a 3% contingency
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DEPARTMENT: Electric Utility
SUBMITTED BY: Raheel Arshed, Deputy Director
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
N/A
BACKGROUND:
Substation transformers are critical components of the Electric Utility's electric grid. Thirty-eight active substation transformers serve over 63,000 customer meters, resulting in one of the highest customer-to-equipment ratios from a reliability standpoint. Substation transformers are designed for a 30-year service life. With proper maintenance and without frequent overloading, they can continue to operate reliably for many years beyond their expected service life.
The Electric Utility maintains a multi-faceted, multi-year project approach to improve system reliability for substations, which includes the procurement of strategic spare transformers.
The City's fleet of transformers consists of three common voltage combinations:
* 138kV to 34.5kV: The City currently has four transformers of this configuration in service. A fifth unit is being added as part of the Tollway project, and a spare of this voltage and size is on order. Expected delivery for the new Tollway unit and the spare is late 2026 or early 2027.
* 138kV to 12.47kV: The City has 22 transformers of this configuration. The previous spare was recently deployed, and a new spare is on order, with delivery expected in 2028.
* 34.5kV to 12.47kV: There are nine transformers on the system of this configuration. One of the transformers at the Chicago Substation has started showing signs of aging. The City does not currently have a spare 34.5kV to 12.47kV transformer.
The other uncommon configurations include two transformers at Indian Hill Substation that are 34.5kV to 13.2kV for Nokia. This non-standard voltage was selected by Lucent years ago as part of the development that built...
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