Council Agenda - City of Burbank

Tuesday, April 5, 2005

Agenda Item - 7


 

                                 Burbank Water and Power
                                                    MEMORANDUM
DATE: April 5, 2005
TO: Mary J. Alvord, City Manager
FROM:

Ronald E. Davis, General Manager, BWP

SUBJECT: Water and Electric Operations Update for March 2005


WATER UPDATE

 

Water Quality

Financial and Operations Update

  • The Water Cost Adjustment Charge (WCAC) account had a balance of $1,440,013 as of February 28, 2005.

  • Fiscal Year 2004-05 Year-To-Date Water Fund Financial Results as of February 28, 2005:

( ) = Unfavorable

* Includes Power Plant Sales, Commercial and Industrial Reclaimed Sales

 

(A)       Revenues are reduced by the amount of the WCAC over-collection ($372K) and lower CCF sales due to cooler than normal temperatures and above average rainfalls ($344k).

(B)       Additional income from closing of old work for others projects.

(C)       Additional income from closing of old AIC projects.

 

Fiscal Year 2004-05 Water Fund Financial Reserve balances as of February 28, 2005 are summarized in the following table:

 

   

 

BOU Water Production

  • BOU plant was shutdown on February 5 due to a carbon screen failure in one Vapor Phase Granulated Activated Carbon (VPGAC) vessel in each of the two VPGAC treatment trains. This accounts for twelve days of lost production

  • A ten day MWD shutdown started February 22 resulted in no blending water and therefore, no BOU production. There accounts for six days of lost production at the end of February. 

  • The BOU well field had water production problems due to the persistent low water table and two of the major wells down for maintenance. This has limited water production to about 5,000 - 6,000 gpm when the plant is on-line, not withstanding the problems detailed above.  

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

  • Calgon Corporation is working on the alternative design requested by the EPA. Construction and fabrication of the new screens will follow the EPA�s approval, which is the controlling feature in proceeding with the project. Construction is projected to take three months once it is approved. EPA approval is still pending and is not expected before April. Construction will begin after EPA approval and the order/receipt of long lead materials. The Treatment Plant will experience reduced operating capacity during project construction. Consequently, there will be an increased need for purchased water from the Metropolitan Water District (MWD).

Capital Projects

  • Construction of a new 12-inch reclaimed water main in San Fernando Blvd. from Santa Anita Ave. to Valencia Ave. began in December. Once this water main is completed, the existing 8-inch main will be converted for reclaimed water use. This work is being done in advance of the South San Fernando Streetscape project. Project progress has been slow due to rain. Completion is scheduled for the end of February. The 12-inch main is in place. The lateral connections from the main to the side streets are underway.  The main will then be pressure tested and disinfected before the existing water services are tied over. The conversion of the 8-inch main to reclaimed use will then follow. All work should be completed in April.

  • The McClure water storage tank is being recoated on the interior with an engineered coating system which has a useful life of 20 years. Painting was completed in February. Curing of the paint, followed by a wash down and disinfection, is underway.  The tank will be back in service by mid to late March.

Legislative Update

  • Refer to the attached legislative reports.

ELECTRIC UPDATE

 

Electric Reliability

  • During February, there were five (5) 4 kV feeder outages. Feeder T-17 with 900 customers was out on February 15 for 32 minutes due to a mylar balloon. V-7 with 915 customers was out on February 20 for 1 hour 19 minutes due to failure of an overhead transformer. F-7 with 131 customers was out on February 21 for 78 minutes due to a mylar balloon. Feeders C-8 with 696 customers and W-11 with 750 customers were both out on February 25 for 56 minutes due to a broken crossarm. As of February 28 2005, the system-wide average is 0.2767 outages per year, compared with an industry average of 1.2 outages per year. As of February 28, 2005, the average service availability is 99.9944%, exceeding the City goal of 99.99%. The average outage length is 71.1 minutes, compared with an industry average of 80 minutes.

The following table shows the system-wide reliability statistics for Fiscal Year 2004-05 through February 28, 2005 as compared to Fiscal Year 2003-04:

 

Reliability Measure

Fiscal Year 2003-04

Fiscal Year 2004-05

Average Outages Per Year

     0.3993

  0.2767

Average Outage Duration

   50.05 minutes

71.1 minutes

Average Service Availability

   99.9961%

99.9944%

 

Financial and Operations Update

  • Fiscal Year 2004-05 year-to-date Power Financial Results as of February 28, 2005:

( ) = Unfavorable

 

(A)       BWP has been able to purchase more energy, and at a lower cost than planned from IPP, displacing higher priced sources.

(B)       BWP received settlement payment from El Paso for $828k in December 2004.

(C)       BWP received a $679k reimbursement from SCPPA for labor and projects related to MPP. These funds, although AIC in nature, are applied against MPP expenses and offset the retail power supply expenses.   

  • Fiscal Year 2004-05 preliminary Power Fund Financial Reserve balances as of February 28, 2005 is summarized in the following table:

 

 

Local Generation Operations Update

 

Unit Status

  • Olive 1 is on-line and available for normal service.

  • Olive 2 is down for boiler inspection.

  • Olive 4 is available for emergency service.

  • Lake One is unavailable through April 7, 2005 pending SCAQMD approval of the variance petition.

  • The Micro-Turbine Project installation is almost complete.  

  • Hydro energy production for February was 50,800 kWh compared to the goal of 52,000 kWh. The year-to-date actual hydro production is 463,500 kWh compared to the goal of 550,000 kWh.

February 2005 Unit Data 

 

Unit

Availability

Operating Hours

MWH Net

NOx, lbs.

L-1

64%

166

6246

1132.2

O-1

100%

422

4630

254.5

O-2

78%

0

0

920.7

  

Magnolia Power Project (MPP)

 

The items in this report are provided as a general overview of the status of the Project. These items are discussed in considerable detail among the Project Participants at the Project Coordination Meeting each Friday and at Coordinating Committee meetings.

 

Safety

 

Through February, Kvaerner has worked 832,764 man-hours with no lost time cases and four recordable cases.

 

Budget

 

Refer to the attachment for detailed information on actual expenditures for the period ending February 28, 2005.

 

Schedule

 

The project remains on schedule.  Refer to the attachment for detailed information on Project milestones.

 

Finance

 

The Magnolia Power Project Finance Committee continues to review refunding proposals and has taken no action regarding the refunding of Project A bonds.

 

California Energy Commission (CEC) Compliance

 

Monthly reports are being submitted to the CEC as required. No violations of conditions have occurred.

 

Engineering, Procurement and Construction Activities since last Project Director�s Report of February 14

 

Completed fuel gas compressor building

Completed fuel gas system air blows

Distributed control system available

Completed project revenue metering

Completed installation of temporary steam blow piping

 

Transmission

  • Southern California Edison (SCE) Tax Issues on Facilities Agreement.  Discussions will resume with SCE management to determine how SCE routinely handles tax issues on facilities improvements with municipal entities. The SCPPA attorney will be contacting Greg Simay to set up a meeting with Lawren Minor as soon as his work schedule permits.

  • Transmission Legal and Regulatory Study. The final report was distributed on December 10.

  • Scheduled Services Agreement (SSA). The SSA is in the final stages of discussion before review by the respective city attorneys of each of the participants.

Coordinating Committee Actions at its meeting on February 17

  • There were no action items on the Coordinating Committee agenda.

Project Manager�s  Actions Since Last Project Director�s Report of February 14

 

With consultation and agreement from Project Participants, the following actions have been taken:

  • Approved $212,799 for Mariposa for hardscape design and construction.

  • Approved $49,839 for Kvaerner for modifications and repair on the heat recovery steam generator on behalf of Alstom. Funds will be deducted from the Altom contract. 

  • Approved Personal Services Agreement with Troutman Sanders LLP for legal services in negotiating a Long Term Service Agreement.

Key Milestones and Anticipated Significant Activities For Next 30 Days

 

March 14:

Combustion turbine generator (CTG) seal oil system available

March 28:

Complete CTG seal oil system 

March 31:

Cooling tower blowdown system available

April 7:

First Fire

April 10:

Initial synchronization of CTG

 

Power Supply Capital Projects

        SCADA/EMS

A project estimate and budget submittal for upgrading the existing Telvent SCADA/EMS hardware, software, and RTU�s was prepared.

 

Work continued on several SCADA displays that will be needed for Magnolia operations, including determining system energy accounting and losses.   

 

The Switching Procedure application of OPERA is operational and in use by the dispatchers. Improvements are being made and hundreds of paper switching procedures are being scanned into the database.

 

BWP engineering staff continues to work with Siemens New Energy to implement the New Energy Scheduling software that will be used for MPP. New Energy and BWP staff may install the system in Atlanta for development and testing before shipping the software and hardware to be installed in the new Magnolia Services/MPP Control Building as early as March. Staff has selected a server location.

 

Telecom

 

Engineering developed a fiber optic service proposal for Media Net to connect Cartoon Network 300 N. 3rd St. to LADWP Receiving Station �E� in North Hollywood.

 

Engineering developed a fiber optic service proposal for Media Net to connect Technicolor 200 S. Flower St. to LADWP Receiving Station �E� in North Hollywood.

 

Field personnel completed a fiber optic job for Screen Actors Guild Health Plan to connect West Olive Plaza 3601 W. Olive Avenue to Qwest Cyber Center 3015 Winona Avenue.

 

MPP Service and Control Building � Third Floor Tenant Improvements

BWP Administration Building, Phase III Interior Remodel

 

Furniture was delivered on March 11, 2005 for the MPP third floor tenant improvements and is in the process of being installed. Seventeen (17) Power Systems and BWP Finance personnel will take occupancy after installation is completed.

 

Work continues by Perkowitz+Ruth Architects and their structural, electrical, mechanical and plumbing disciplines to complete the construction documents for the Administration Building remodel.

 

Electrical Distribution

 

Construction work for extending the ducts and manholes along Oak St. from California St. to Buena Vista, and along Buena Vista to Edison Rd. is complete. Underground cable has been delivered and installation is completed. The first 34,500 volt line is completed and energized. The Keystone-Capon line was also energized. 

 

Since July 2004, 84 power poles have been replaced,. Since July, a total of 120 pole replacements were engineered and 140 issued to the field. In February, engineering began designing secondary line improvements in the hillside area.

 

Since July, 13 pad mounted customer stations have been engineered, 10 were issued to the field and 8 pad mounted transformers have been energized. BWP has completed work on a new service consisting of a 34.5 kV pad-mounted switch and a 34.5 kV to 277/480 V transformer for Hydro Aire. After the contractor finishes his portion of the work, the service should be energized in early March. A deteriorated pad-mounted switch has been replaced in the Bel Aire Dr. area. Extensive underground work needed to provide service to three major developments in the downtown area (Olive Civic Plaza, Burbank Village Walk, and Senior Artists Colony) was completed in February.

 

The preliminary design of the Warner Ranch industrial circuit from Capon Switching Station at Warner Ranch is in progress. BWP has placed an order with Southwest Power to purchase a padmount switch and other related equipment on behalf of Warner Bros. All equipment and materials have been received. BWP has also purchased a 34,500 to 4,160 volt padmount transformer from ABB Inc. for this project which is expected to be delivered in February/March 2005. Warner Bros. paid the full amount as a deposit for the purchase of these items. This project is expected to be completed by June 30, 2005.

 

The removal of power poles along the Flood Channel in preparation for the placement of trees was completed on schedule.

 

Construction for the second phase of the streetlight system undergrounding on Magnolia Blvd. between Pass Ave. and Buena Vista St. was completed in October on schedule. Power sources for the Magnolia Park street decorations are ready for merchants. The design drawings for the last phase of undergrounding the streetlight system on Magnolia Blvd are complete.

 

Engineering is working with the Redevelopment Agency on South San Fernando Blvd. street improvement projects and with the Public Works Dept. and Traffic Signal Division on other street/traffic improvement projects including the Olive/Alameda Intersection Widening, Empire Avenue Streetscape Project and San Fernando Intelligent Transportation System Project.

 

Since July, 20 additional streetlights (including 7 pole-mounted lights) have been engineered in response to requests from residents, with 17 lights installed. Conversion of the streetlight series circuit on Alameda Avenue to low voltage was completed in February and two other series conversion work orders tied to Public Works street improvement projects were issued to the field.

 

Engineering has completed two aid-in-construction underground streetlight designs tied to the Olive Civic Plaza and Burbank Village Walk developments. The job order for the Senior Artists Colony has been issued to the field.

 

Replacement of the remaining oil switches with pole mounted airbreak switches has been issued to the field with the exception of one, Pacific-16 distributing switch, which will be removed during the unloading of the feeder.

 

The Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA) awarded a contract to ABB Inc. to design/build the Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) expansion at the Olive Switching Station. This will connect the Magnolia Power Plant to the Olive Switching Station. ABB has completed all the work and BWP completed the energization of this project during the week of November 16, 2004, except for the connection to MPP. The underground connections to MPP via step-up transformers was completed in December 2004 for testing purposes.     

 

Bock Co. completed the installation of a new underground duct system in the BWP Yard to underground two, 69,000 volt overhead lines as part of BWP�s overall plan to improve and modernize the BWP generating site. Both riser poles north of the Magnolia Bridge are completed along with cables to the first manholes at the northeast corner of the BWP Yard. Cable and all other related materials are ordered. This work is expected to be completed before MPP goes on-line. The 69 kV cable for the Olive-Lincoln lines was delivered by the end of August and the cable for Olive-Lincoln #1 and #2 has been pulled. BWP crews have completed the splicing and termination of lines. Both lines were energized in November 2004.

 

The 69,000 volt underground cable and devices for making the connections from MPP to the Olive Switching Station were ordered. The Generator Step Up (GSU) and other related power transformers were manufactured, tested, and shipped from Turkey in early June 2004. These transformers arrived on site and were set on the pads. The 69 kV cable was shipped on August 28, 2004 and arrived on site before September 3. Eighteen runs from the MPP GSU to the GIS were pulled. All terminations have been completed and cables are ready to be energized. All related work was completed and the GSU was energized for testing purposes in December 2004. BWP has also completed all work related to the connection of the MPP reserve transformer to the Burbank Substation. The connection was tested in December 2004 and was energized as a permanent connection in January 2005.    

 

BWP staff is working on the Olive Switching Station retrofit by upgrading circuit breakers, busses and other equipment. This upgrade is needed for MPP. Approximately 80% of the work is complete. The Olive-Lincoln #2 breaker, B-3 bank breaker position, A-3 bank breaker position, Olive-1 breaker position, and Olive Banks A-4 and A-5 breaker positions are completed. Crews are currently working on Olive Unit 2 bank breaker position and the line to the City of Glendale (Olive-Capon-Western #1) line position.

 

The underground duct work to upgrade the underground portion of the western leg of the Olive-Capon-Western #1 line, and relocate the riser pole to the south side of Olive Ave., is almost complete. The Bock Co. is working on the final resurfacing of the street.  

 

BWP Electrical Engineering has completed the design for the new underground ducts installation along Verdugo Ave. from Kenwood to California St. The underground duct work at Verdugo Ave., from Frederick to Buena Vista, and along Buena Vista, was started on October 6 and was completed in January 2005. BWP crews were expected to start pulling the cable in early January but were delayed due to heavy customer related work, Hydro-Aire, Sr. Artist Colony and a Cusumano project.  

 

BWP overhead distribution crews completed reconductoring and reinsulating of the 69,000 volt line       (pole line joint with SCE) along Buena Vista from Verdugo Ave. to Chandler Blvd. The same crew has completed remaining reinsulation work in the direction of the Olive Switching Station. This will eliminate having to wash insulators as the replacements will be Polymer insulators. The Toluca-Capon #1 overhead distribution crew is working on forming this new line. The underground work is all complete and the overhead work is in progress and needs coordination with SCE due to a shared pole line along Hollywood Way and relay work at RSE.

 

Engineering completed the preliminary work to relocate the Burbank Substation from its existing location to a new location at Lake St. and Olive Ave. in BWP�s yard. Navigant Consulting is doing an analysis of whether the new proposed reconfiguration of a 34,500 volt system in this area will work before the design is completed. BWP has completed preliminary engineering work and asked ABB to provide an estimate for this 3 year project.

 

A total of 221 remote meters were installed in February; 66 were requested by the Customer Service Division and 70 were meter change-outs performed by the Line Crews or Test Shop. A total of 85 remote meters were installed by the Test Shop to achieve a new goal of saturating an area.

 

The remote read meters that BWP has been installing are Itron Centrons with built in radio transmitters. The meters transmit at an average of one second intervals in the 900 MHz range. Each broadcast contains the meter�s unique ID number, kWh read, tamper codes and communication check code. The meter reader can read the meter from the sidewalk thus avoiding dogs, gates, and other hazards. The remote read meters also increase the meter reader�s efficiency and accuracy.

 

BWP Electrical Engineering is working with power plant personnel and the consultants for the Micro Turbines Project at the landfill to bring it online. The electrical connection and the padmount transformer is already upgraded and working on the protection and some commissioning issues.

 

Customer Service

 

In 2001, BWP launched its website (www.BurbankWaterandPower.com) to highlight our programs, services, rates, projects, and other information. The site has grown over the years to include an impressive array of information. The viewership has also steadily grown and we now proudly boast nearly 100,000 monthly hits to the site. 

 

We continually review the site for improvements and a recent decision was made to update the look of the site. Our intent is to make navigation through the site even more user-friendly and to add additional features that we think web users would appreciate.  Some elements of the new look include:

  • A banner at the top of each page with images from Burbank; the images will change as users move from page to page within the site

  • Use of drop-down menus for item selection

  • An online suggestion box for users to more easily communicate with BWP

  • Burbank temperature and time located on the home page

  • Introduction of the revamped website is scheduled in May 2005

Legislative Update:

 

Refer to the attached legislative reports.

 

 

RED:RAC:FCF:WOM:GLS:JLF

H:MARCH W&E OPERATIONS REPORT

 

Attachments

 

 

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