PCCA Journal 1st Quarter 2014 - page 32

PCCA Journal|1
st
Quarter 2014
32
Power News
Continued from page 31
advantages over transformers cooled with conventional
mineral oil,” said Beatrix Natter, CEO of the Transformers
business unit at Siemens Energy. “The biodegradability of
the insulating oil means that additional collecting vessels and
separation systems are no longer required at the installation
location, resulting in cost savings for these items.”
Other important aspects are the substantially higher flash-
point and combustion point of the vegetable oil as compared
to that of the mineral oil used up to now. The lower flamma-
bility of this insulating oil also provides the transformer with
a higher fire protection classification. This means that the fire
protection system can be optimized accordingly and that the
transformer can also be operated favorably in densely popu-
lated residential areas.
Quebec City Plans EV Charging Stations
The mayor of Québec, Régis Labeaume, and the partners of
the Electric Circuit recently announced that the city of Qué-
bec is joining the public charging network and will improve
the availability of charging for electric vehicles on its terri-
tory. Over the next two years, the city will acquire 18 Level 2
(240 V) charging stations, which will be installed off-street in
municipal lots.


“This agreement with the Electric Circuit, powered by
Hydro-Québec, is in line with one of the objectives of the city
of Québec’s sustainable mobility plan, which includes using
hybrid and electric vehicles,” Labeaume said. “One of the
recommendations of this plan is to convene with the Electric
Circuit to install charging stations for electric vehicles. I hope
this partnership will meet the needs of the growing number
of electric vehicle users in our region.”




The agreement calls for the first ten charging stations to
be in service by the end of this year and eight more next year.
The 240-V charging stations will be installed in indoor and
outdoor city parking lots.
FirstEnergy Invests in System Reliability
A
s part of its ongoing
efforts to strengthen the
durability and flexibility
of its electric system,
FirstEnergy Corp.
announced in February that it plans to
invest more than $143 million in 2014 in
service reliability infrastructure upgrades
in its Potomac Edison service area. This
represents about an $80 million increase
compared to what the company invested
in reliability infrastructure projects in
western Maryland and the Eastern Pan-
handle of West Virginia last year.
Major projects scheduled for this year
include transmission enhancements,
building new distribution circuits, re-
placing underground cables, and making
system enhancements in high-growth
areas experiencing new residential and
commercial development.
“Many of the planned infrastructure
projects are designed to enhance the
reliable, day-to-day service we now
provide our customers,” said James
A. Sears, Jr., FirstEnergy’s president of
Maryland Operations and vice president
of Potomac Edison. “We also are taking
steps to prepare our system for tomor-
row’s inevitable growth. Whether we are
trimming trees, installing new equip-
ment at substations, or rebuilding older
transmission and distribution facilities,
our objective is to make a good system
even better.”
Of FirstEnergy’s $143 million in-
frastructure investment in the region
for 2014, about $42 million will be for
transmission-related projects built and
owned by Trans-Allegheny Interstate
Line Company, a FirstEnergy transmis-
sion affiliate.
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Annual PCCA Convention
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