VAMC Salem, Electrical Distribution System Replacement

Wiley|Wilson provided planning, design engineering, and construction support services for the partial replacement of the existing 4.16 kV underground electrical distribution system. Because this is an operational hospital, critical importance was taken into the design of a power system, which takes into account the phasing and constructability of the project.

The project included replacing existing cable to eliminate the current reliability problems associated with cable failures and to re‑configure the system using sectionalizing switches to create redundant feeder paths to each building. This design creates a more resilient system that can survive cable failures should they occur. The design also included the refurbishment of existing metal‑clad switchgear to provide improved relaying and metering capabilities.

Wiley|Wilson designed the electrical distribution system protection and control scheme to interface with the Medical Center’s existing 1.8MW photovoltaic array which interconnects directly to the 4.16kV system.