BWP Improves Electrical Distribution System
August 8, 2002 Dedication of Expanded Electrical Services
BWP imports a large amount of electricity into Burbank for our homes and businesses. This electricity travels hundreds of miles over high-voltage transmission lines and ends up at a place called Receiving Station E, or RS-E. RS-E is operated by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) and is the interconnection point for LADWP and BWP.
To make our electrical distribution system even stronger and more reliable, BWP upgraded much of the equipment at RS-E. A dedication ceremony was held on August 8, 2002 for this project. The upgrade included building two new huge transformers to replace smaller units that were 34 years old. The RS-E expansion enables us to import enough power to meet all of Burbank’s needs, if for some reason we couldn’t run our own generating units.
This photo provides an idea of the size of RS-E. The amount of electricity that comes into this station is huge.
Xavier Baldwin, BWP Principal Engineer and RS-E Expansion Project Manager
This project has been no easy feat, but four years and $7.5 million later, we are happy to report that Burbank’s electrical infrastructure is more secure and reliable.
The core RS-E Expansion project team.
BWP’s duty is to supply and deliver power to our customers. This not only means being able to meet customer needs today, but also tomorrow. Electric deregulation drove home the lesson that utilities with physical assets, such as transmission and distribution lines, and power plants, have the best chance of surviving and providing their customers with the most competitive price and reliable service.
These are the two new transformers installed as part of this project. Each costs about $1.5 million. With the installation of these huge transformers, Burbank’s total transformer capacity almost doubled.