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Council approves power department contracts for transmission insulators, Pineview hydro controls and substation batteries
Summary
Bountiful City Council approved three Power Department procurements: Wasatch Electric for Echo transmission-line insulator and cross-arm changeout ($179,138); ECI for Pineview hydro control-system replacement including 10% contingency ($953,915 total requested); and Exponential Power for northwest substation battery bank ($42,422).
The Bountiful City Council on Aug. 26 approved three separate Power Department contracts to address transmission reliability, hydro control modernization and substation battery needs.
Alan Johnson, director of the city’s Power Department, presented the items. For the Echo transmission line the department proposed proactively replacing suspension insulators that had failed following a fire. Johnson said the line crosses rugged, mountainous terrain with spans of roughly 1,200 to 1,600 feet and that specialized contractors are required for the work. Staff recommended awarding the contract to Wasatch Electric at a total of $179,138; council approved the contract. Johnson said crews plan to start approximately the week of Oct. 20 to finish the first phase ahead of winter weather.
On the Pineview hydroelectric plant, Johnson told the council the plant’s control system is an older GE Series 6 platform that is no longer supported and that spare parts have been sourced on secondary markets. He said staff solicited proposals and recommended a firm identified as ECI to provide engineering, materials, programming and commissioning for the replacement. The proposal came in at $867,195; staff asked council to approve that amount plus a 10% contingency ($953,915) to cover unknowns and field conditions. Johnson said project work would begin this fall with commissioning in April and the unit operating by the first part of the next water year. Council approved the ECI contract and the contingency.
Finally, the council approved purchase of a 320‑amp‑hour 125‑volt battery bank for the Northwest Substation from Exponential Power for $42,422. Johnson said batteries are essential for substation control (they supply DC power for breaker operation and SCADA control during outages) and that the city received three bids; the recommended bid met the specified amp‑hour requirement and delivery timing.
Council members discussed the relative value of the hydro resource and the long-term benefits of investing in low-cost generation assets. Johnson and others noted the hydro output is among the city’s least‑cost resources and helps reduce summer power costs when demand is highest.
All three motions were approved by voice vote.
