Otterville Voltage Conversion

The Erie Thames Powerlines Corporation manages the distribution system in Otterville, Ontario. When they needed to upgrade the overhead system within the community, they decided to perform a voltage conversion at the same time. The aim? To upgrade the existing 8.3-kilovolt system to support 27.6 kilovolts and provide the community of Otterville with an increased power capacity.

Approximately nine distribution transformers would require replacement for they system to operate at higher voltage. Our team completed the design in two phases in order to accommodate the work tying into the demarcation point with an existing Hydro One circuit. The replacement included approximately 45 poles in the first phase, and another five poles in the second.

Our civil scope included the preparation of base AutoCAD drawings for overhead primary and secondary layouts, coordination with other utilities, and staking final pole and anchor locations for construction. The electrical work involved coordinating with municipal agencies and utilities, making applications for all required road authorizes and utility approvals, and designing the overhead line rebuild along the selected streets.

Led by our Waterloo, Ontario office, our efforts also provided limited technical support during the tender phase.