Qualifications, Career Experience and and Major Projects

ROBERT R. GAGE, PE, P.C., is  an independent engineering consulting firm.   Its Principal, Robert Gage  has 50 years of training and experience in large, utility scale high-voltage electric grids.  He provides expert consulting services on a  variety of matters concerning high-voltage transmission systems and stations.  Examples include:  Conceptual HV transmission system and station planning, design, interconnection and operation  services;  Advisory services  to ensure that a proposed interconnection project will meet the strict requirements for reliability, operability, constructibility and maintainability;  Forensic Engineering Investigations and Reports;  ‘Consulting  Expert’ services  for Law firms;  etc. 

The firm holds a Certificate of Authorization from the NYS Education Department to provide professional engineering services.  Its clients include electrical construction firms, general contractors, engineering design firms, electrical equipment suppliers, economic development agencies, energy utilities, electricity generators and end-users, project developers, facility owners, law firms and forensic engineering firms.  

Its Principal , Robert Gage received a BSEE from the University at Buffalo (1973), an MBA from Canisius College (1978), a certificate of completion for the two-year Power Systems Engineering Program from Power Technologies Inc. (1977), and is a registered Professional Engineer in NY State (1978).

Mr. Gage worked for forty years in in the Western NY divisional office of Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation, currently NMPC d/b/a National Grid.  His utility experience derives from extensive involvement with the present day highly reliable electric grid that evolved from the early industrialization that drove the development of  hydroelectric power at Niagara Falls in the late 1800's.    Due to this unique early origin, the WNY grid has an unusually high concentration of 230 and 115 kV single and double circuit transmission lines that connect to utility-owned supply stations and customer-owned (and operated) high voltage receiving stations.

Bob held positions of increasing responsibility in engineering, operations and marketing department roles.  His final 12-year position was as Principal Engineer, responsible for customer-owned facilities in Western NY.  In this capacity he also mentored other engineering department engineers and was Chair of National Grid's Specifications for Electric Installations Committee.  With authority delegated from senior  management, this committee has sole responsibility to determine,  publish and interpret the Company's technical bulletins pertaining to the requirements for customer owned electric service equipment arrangements from 120 volts to 230,000 volts.  His utility experience therefore includes:

• extensive involvement with one, two and four transformer utility and customer owned stations with closed secondary buses fed by one, two or four 23, 34.5 or 115 kV OH lines or UG cables
• planning and facilitating the connection of ‘service  equipment arrangements’ of end-use load customers to utility systems
• grid interconnection studies for Small and Large generators to utility distribution and transmission facilities
• knowledge of electric utility systems engineering, marketing, rates & economics, maintenance and operating procedures,  good utility practice, etc. 

In 2013, Bob became Principal of ROBERT R. GAGE, PE, P.C. and began providing independent consulting services to a variety of clients.  His work on client matters ranges from routine to extremely complex.  In addition, he conducts forensic engineering insurance loss investigations as a member of Envista Forensic's Expert Alliance.  Significant representative projects includes,

• Stamp 345,000-volt  Station Project.  This 2015 to 2018 project illustrates the firm's abilities in grid interconnection matters, see NYISO Interconnection Queue #580.   Services provided include conceptually designing and successfully obtaining  regulatory approval for a new 345/115 kV, 500 MVA electric substation to be developed by the Genesee County Economic Development Council (GCEDC) to power its 1250-acre Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park (STAMP) located in the Town of Alabama, NY.  With dual power transformers, each with a rated capacity well n excess of 500 MVA, Stamp Station is destined to be one of the largest and most reliable load serving electric stations in the United States.

• National Fuel Gas Corp. Compressor Station Project.  Services on this 2017-2020 project included advising and assisting the company on i) obtaining a very reliable dual sourced 34,500-volt electric service for its new electric powered natural gas pipeline compressor station project, and ii) negotiating the electric capacity and energy rate structure for the service.

• Emera Maritime Link Investigation.   A 2020 investigation for Envista Forensics into the causes of and estimated costs to repair numerous instances of damaged wire strands found on overhead ground wires and phase conductors on Emera's recently completed $1.6B, 520-km 200 kV direct current electric transmission line interconnecting the Island of Newfoundland to Nova Scotia. 

• Pacific Gas & Electric Investigation.   A one year engagement that ended in July 2022 as a member of the Envista Forensics team selected to perform a California Public Utility Commission mandated Investigation and Root Cause Analysis of the role PG&E's electrical facilities had in igniting fires in its service territory in 2017.  Services will involve applying expert electric utility knowledge, published state and national standards and industry accepted practices to evaluate the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the Company's overhead high-voltage electric transmission and distribution facilities.  The full Final Root Cause Analysis Report is available  here.   And a shorter December 2022 CPUC Virtual Workshop presentation is here.