Electricity and Control June 2021

TRANSFORMERS, SUBSTATIONS + CABLES : PRODUCTS + SERVICES

Substation upgrade to power new data centre in Centurion

ACTOM’s substation project management division, ACTOM Power Systems, has secured a new data centre ‘self-build’ substation contract in Gauteng. Valued at over R50 million, the contract involves a complete refurbishment of the 132/11 kV Kosmosdal-A substation in Samrand, Centurion in the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. The substation upgrade, a self-build project by Growthpoint Properties by arrangement with the municipality, is being undertaken to establish a dedicated supply of power to a new data centre currently under construction nearby. ACTOM divisions will supply most of the new equip- ment to be installed in the substation. This is the third substation contract that ACTOM Power Systems has been awarded within the past three years by a private sector company on a self-build basis, by arrangement with a municipality, for supply of power to a new or extended data centre. Both the previous contracts were for substations in the City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality. The first of these, completed in September 2019, involved an extension of the 132/11 kV Airport Super Substation next to OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, and the second, awarded in November last year and due for completion in October this year, is for an entirely new substation, the 88/11 kV Long Avenue substation in northern Ekurhuleni. Long Avenue substation – originally referenced as Witfontein Ext. 90 – includes provision of additional power supply to enable substantial further development throughout northern Ekurhuleni. The Kosmosdal-A substation contract, awarded at the end of February this year and overseen by consulting engineers Geopower, is scheduled for completion by January 2022. “Working to an already tight programme, we have had to field a couple of curved balls to achieve a workable execution plan,” said Hannes Horn, ACTOM Power Systems’ Senior Contracts Manager responsible for the contract. The first was the discovery that an OEM in Europe which ACTOM had routinely approached to manufacture specialised 132 kV disconnecting circuit- breakers in the past, had unexpectedly discontinued that production line after initially quoting for the supply of the equipment. “As a result we had to explore alternative compact- design solutions, as well as trying to locate substitute suppliers that could still meet the local delivery constraint without negatively impacting the overall programme,” said Horn. The second complication posed an even greater threat of impacting the entire data centre development programme beyond the substation portion of the works. A local manufacturer, with which the order for the two

free-issue 40 MVA 132/11 kV power transformers had been placed, suffered a fire at its factory in March. “We overcame this serious setback by negotiating with our customer to incorporate the supply of the two power transformers into our contract and switch their manufacture to our in-house factory, ACTOM Power Transformers, instead. While some overall delay slippage was unavoidable we have still managed to curtail this to within the constraints of the broader data centre deadline,” Horn said. The other ACTOM divisions and business units involved are: - ACTOM High Voltage Equipment, which will supply conventional circuit breakers, isolators, earth switches, current transformers, voltage transformers and surge arresters. - ACTOM Distribution Transformers will supply the NECRT transformers. - Static Power will supply batteries and chargers. - ACTOM Protection & Control will supply protection and automation systems. - ACTOM Electrical Products will supply all power and control cable and accessories required to renew the substation. The 11 kV switchgear is to be free-issued by the City of Tshwane for relocation to the substation. The refurbished Kosmosdal-A substation will have a largely open-yard configuration, similar to that shown in the extension of a Kempton Park substation completed previously by ACTOM Power Systems.

For more information contact ACTOM Power Systems. Tel: +27 (0) 11 430 8700, visit: www.actom.co.za

26 Electricity + Control JUNE 2021