Substation Projects

During the course of his professional work at Niagara Mohawk/National Grid, Bob has been privileged to work on over 75 particularly complex high voltage electrical projects undertaken by the following Western NY electric customers, developers, contractors, engineering firms and electrical suppliers. While the specific details are confidential, these projects involved either modifications to an existing, or construction of a new, customer-owned high voltage station, many costing $1M to $4M, and a few $10M or more.

The more technically challenging and complex projects that Bob oversaw as Principal Electrical Engineer for National Grid include:

A new 115/13.2 kV station at Holiday Valley Ski Resort in 2011 that increased the delivery voltage from 13.2 to 115 kV and therefore resulted in $500,000 of annual electricity cost savings resulting from avoidance of the demand ratchet clause associated with the former distribution system sourced service connection.
A new four-cable/four-transformer 23/4.16 kV closed secondary bus receiving station at the Erie County Medical Center in 2011.
New 23/4.16 kV stations at the Buffalo Zoo-2010, Canisius College-2005, VA Medical Center-2011 and SUNY College at Buffalo-2010.
Interconnection of the BQ Energy Steel Winds I & II Project, a 12-turbine windfarm along the Lake Erie shore in Lackawanna, NY to the National Grid 115 kV transmission system.
A 2006-2007 University at Buffalo project to replace one of two parallel 230/34.5 kV transformers at the North-Campus station, which also involved facilitating the emergency installation of a temporary standby 115 kV transmission line to ensure reliability during the work, and a subsequent 2009-2011 project to add a third 230 kV transformer bay.
A 2007 University at Buffalo project at the South-Campus station involving an innovative 23 kV receiving station with 23-23 kV voltage regulating transformers.
A 2008 to 2011 Buffalo General Medical Center project involving the $14 million, in-place, total replacement of the existing multiple-source/multiple-transformer 23/4.16 kV station with increased capacity to supply the then-under-construction Gates Vascular Institute that opened in 2012 and the future Oishei Children’s Hospital that opened in 2017. Beyond the Kaleida project, Bob also led the National Grid effort to install four new higher capacity 23 kV underground circuits to increase the Company's delivery capacity to support the largest Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus loads.

Bob's involvement included:

Customer-owned stations between 23 and 230 kV : ADM Milling, Agrilink Foods, American Axle, Ameristeel, Attica Correctional Facility, Barilla Pasta, GM Corp, Kaleida Gates Vascular Institute, BOC Edwards, UB/Roswell Basic Life Sciences Complex, Buffalo Zoo, Canisius College, Ceres Crystal, Certain-Teed, Children's Hospital, Col. Ward Pump Plant, Collins Correctional Facility, Curtis Screw, Darien Lake Theme Park, Delaco Steel, Dresser Rand, D'Youville College, DuPont Chemical Co., Erie Community College Erie County Medical Center, Erie County Water Authority, Ford Motor Company, FMC Corp., General Mills' GE Transformer Shop, Gernatt Gravel Corp., Globe Metallurgical, Greenpac/Norampac, Groveland Correctional Facility, Hauptman Woodward Institute, Holiday Valley Ski Resort, Holimont Ski Resort, I2R Element Company, Kenmore Mercy Hospital, Klein Steel, Kraft Foods, LCO Building, Mercy Hospital, Metaullics Systems, Millseat/Bergen Generator, Modern Energy Generator, Nestle Purina, NF Waste Water Plant, Niagara County Water Authority, Niagara Specialty Metals, Noble Bliss Wind Farm, Nuclear Fuel Services, OATKA Milk Co-op, OLV Hospital; Occidental Chemical Corp, Praxair, Rich Products, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Seneca Niagara Casino, Sheehan Memorial Hospital, Sorrento Cheese, SUNY Buffalo College, SUNY University at Buffalo, Tonawanda Coke Corp, Town of Tonawanda Waste Water Plant, Tyson/Russer Food, Unifrax Corp, United Office Building, US Postal Service Buffalo MPO, and municipally-owned electric system stations in the New York Villages of Arcade (Noble Wind Generator), Bergen, Brocton (Chautauqua Generator), Churchville, Fairport, Holley.
Developers: Buffalo Niagara Enterprise; Genesee County Economic Development; Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus; Kaleida Health; University at Buffalo; Krog Corp.; NYS Office of General Services
Contractors: Ferguson Electric Construction Co.; Frey Electric Construction Co.; O'Connell Electric Co.; Turner Construction Co.
Engineering Firms: Cannon Design; CRA; Hatch; ME Engineering; Nussbaumer & Clarke, Inc.; Wendel Companies
Equipment Suppliers: Eaton Corp.; JAGG Electrical & Control; Schneider Electric Company; h.c. Zang Agency