The new Raglan substation currently being built on the corner of Hills Road and SH23 will see the power feed voltage on the existing main extra high voltage line move up from 11,000 volts to 33,000 volts. The higher voltage will provide for greater future power use in Raglan. Feeders from the substation out to street transformers will remain at 11,000 volts. The substation will also provide additional security in the event of loss or unavailability of Te Uku zone substation. The local 11kV network will be reconfigured to take advantage of the enhanced supply and lighten the load on the Te Uku substation.
The heart of the new substation will be a 23 million volt-amp oil-filled transformer supplied by Powell Industries converting the incoming 33,000 volts to 11,000 volts for distribution around Raglan. To ensure safety the building will have oil containment facilities. The substation building has been made big enough to allow installation of a second transformer in the future.
WEL Networks say that the new substation will improve reliability and allow for faster restoration times after outages. In conjunction with the new Raglan substation remote controlled 11kV reclosers and Ring Main Units are being installed by WEL Networks instead of standard overhead switchgear. The initial switchgear will allow for four outward 11,000 volt feeder cables. The remote operation of the switches will allow the rapid return of service to customers outside the fault area and minimise the number of customers affected by the fault while it is being repaired.
Well done WEL – Sounds what Raglan needs!