Goldhill Breaker

In the fall of 1998 a new 69,000-volt circuit breaker was installed at the Goldhill transmission switching substation. This project supports part of Golden Valley's strategic initiatives to improve the reliability of service to Golden Valley members.

Formerly, a transmission line connected the Goldhill and Zehnder Substations as part of the transmission line system that transfers power from Anchorage and Healy to the Fairbanks area. Tapping off this line was the transmission line to the Musk Ox Substation. When shorts, or faults, occurred along the Musk Ox line, blackouts could result in Fairbanks and affect the entire Golden Valley system. After the line was isolated, field crews were dispatched to inspect the transmission line to locate and remove the cause of the fault. The crews might have to traverse up to five miles of line to locate the problem.

The new circuit breaker connects the Musk Ox Substation directly to the Goldhill Substation through a new transmission line. The control circuits for this breaker include sophisticated digital protective devices that can detect and locate faults on the Musk Ox transmission line, open the circuit breaker to isolate the faulted line and not compromise the power supply in the Fairbanks area. With this digital relay, Golden Valley is able to remotely locate the position of the fault.

Golden Valley engineers designed this project and issued contracts to procure materials and construction services. The duplex style switchboard, similar to the original Westinghouse switchboards, came pre-wired with protective relays, meters and control switches. The substation structures included 69,000 volt disconnect switches, lattice steel structures to support the disconnect switches, conductor and attachment hardware. City Electric performed construction on the Goldhill Substation expansion. They were responsible for constructing foundations, erecting steel and installing switches, breakers and conduit to the equipment.

The three-quarter mile transmission line connecting the new breaker to the existing Musk Ox transmission line was bid on in January of 1999. Norcon Inc. was awarded the project. Norcon began construction in February of 1999. The project was completed in April of 1999.

For more information on this, or other projects, please feel free to call us at: 452-1151.