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June 2004 - Virelec to supply Protection and Control System for 800MW Generator in Iowa, USA

Hitachi America has awarded a contract to Virelec Ltd. to supply the protection and control system for the 800MW coal-fired Unit-4 generator at the Council Bluffs Energy Centre in Iowa. The owner is MidAmerican Energy Company; the main contractor is Mitsui and Company Energy Development Inc., while Hitachi America is the subcontractor for the generator and ancillary equipment. The Engineer for the project is Sargent & Lundy, based in Chicago, Illinois.

Virelec will supply a system to protect the generator and generator step-up transformer, the main auxiliary transformer, the excitation transformer, the reserve auxiliary transformers, the station service transformers and the interconnections to the adjacent 345kV/161kV switchyard. Generator synchronizing and revenue metering equipment is also to be housed in the panels. The owner has selected protection, metering, control and auxiliary equipment from approved suppliers such as SEL, GE, Beckwith and Scientific Columbus.

Sargent & Lundy is undertaking the schematic design. Virelec will perform the remaining design to develop the layout, assembly, wiring and construction drawings before manufacturing and testing the panel in its Mississauga factory. Virelec will also create, up-load and inject-test the in-service relay settings prior to shipping the panel to site in July 2005. Virelec’s scope includes commissioning and training services on site before handing over the panel in time for the back-energization of the switchyard in February 2006.

“We are delighted to be working on this prestigious project,” says Paul Marot, President of Virelec, “It reflects Hitachi’s confidence in Virelec’s performance after the success of the recent Genesee project in Alberta. We are particularly proud of their approval of our Quality Assurance programme.”