Extreme Weather Response – Washington, D.C.

The Challenge: Expedited Delivery of Critical Power Connectivity Solutions

A critical substation outside of Washington, D.C., was given a scheduled window of 72 hours to complete a breaker replacement on a section of 230kV bus or face $10,000 per day fines. With less than 36 hours left, the contractor realized the utility didn’t have enough 3” Bus connectors to meet the original design plan.

To further complicate matters, a strong storm cell brought heavy rain throughout this particular weekend with more torrential rain expected from an inbound major hurricane. Initial forecast models projected the Category 4 storm to directly hit the beltway area and a state of emergency for the entire District of Columbia was declared just two days after the project deadline.

Finding these connectors, installing during the storm, and finishing this project on time – and before the next storm – were all absolutely critical.

The Execution: Rapid Response and Efficient Delivery

With 15 year utilizing DMC Power connectors as the utility’s standard, the contractor’s contacted DMC Power on the morning of Saturday, September 8^th with a brief rundown of the scope and parameters for the project.

• On-Site Customer Service: Between on-site trainings and regular job site check-ins, our Territory Manager’s familiarity with the project allowed them to quickly guarantee DMC Power could help this client meet their deadline.
• Operational Agility: Due to the long-standing relationship with the contractor as well as the utility’s engineering department, the coordination required to approve the design modification was able to occur without delays caused by paperwork or payment that could be finalized after this emergency.
• Strategic Deployment: DMC Power has strategically located facilities across North America with a vast variety of connector sizes and configurations on the shelf and ready to ship. While final design modifications were being made, our Territory Manager drove to our facility to pack and stage the connectors and tooling ahead of a 6:30 a.m. the next day.
• Client Collaboration: The designs were updated, and logistics coordinated to perfection with the contractor.  Ahead of delivery, a brief training was conducted with the 6-man crew. When the Swage Tooling and Bus connectors arrived onsite, they were able to get right to work.

120p: Whad’ya know? It’s still raining – with some localized downpours. Should start to ease later this afternoon pic.twitter.com/XK9XwVqrcR

— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) September 9, 2018

“There is real concern that #Florence will slow or stall over the Mid-Atlantic Friday through next weekend & produce disastrous amounts of rain, although it is too soon to pinpoint where.” More info: https://t.co/sFjqgm82DE (Pictured NWS 7-day rain forecast, likely conservative) pic.twitter.com/t6siT06SIT

— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) September 9, 2018