A study team was commissioned by Headquarters, United States Army Installation Management Command (HQ IMCOM), under the leadership of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center-Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (ERDC-CERL), to determine the electric power requirements of Fort Wainwright, Alaska (FWA) through the year 2020, and energy supply alternatives to meet these requirements. Of particular importance was the impending winter and the fact that the installation thought it would not have the ability to meet all electrical demand, in approximately six months. Although several studies of the FWA electric power situation were performed over the past few years, the major concern was that recent increases in demand due to new construction brought about by newly added troop deployment units to the installation, a reduction in the number of facilities scheduled for demolition, coupled with the temporary loss of some generating capacity from the FWA Central Heating and Power Plant (CHPP), could result in a power shortfall during the upcoming 2006/2007 winter season. The study involved the following six primary tasks: (1) Establishing the generating capabilities of the FWA CHPP as well as FWA’s electric power import capacity, based on existing interties to the local utility; (2) Determining the annual electric power requirements through the year 2020; (3) Performing a limited condition assessment of the CHPP-related electrical system to identify critical items in need of repair/replacement; (4) Determining the ability of the local electric utility and other electric power suppliers to meet FWA electric demands through the year 2020; (5) Identifying options for meeting any electric power shortfalls likely to occur through the year 2020; and (6) Identifying methods and costs to improve electrical reliability focusing on redundart equipment and systems. The study determined that the potential power shortfall ranged from 2.3 megawatts (MW) to 3.8 MW for the winter of 2006/2007; 3.6 MW to 5.1 MW for the winter of 2007/2008; 6.3 MW to 7.8 MW in 2011; and 9.7 MW to 11.2 MW by the year 2020, Furthermore, the study corroborated earlier reviews that the switchgear was in immediate need of attention to ensure safe and reliable operation. The subsequent recommendations, which were implemented, included the installation of a nominal 7.5 megavolt-ampere (MVA) transformer to increase import capacity to meet potential shortfalls between 2006 and 2007 and a detailed review of the switchgear condition. Recommendations for upgrade of the switchgear are being pursued, along with further increase in transformer capacity (2 × 20 MVA substation) to ensure no electric power shortfalls through the year 2020.

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