JSC “MOESK” Reconstructs Distribution Grids in Southeastern Moscow Area

Installation of the overhead power line of 10 kV over the Oka River was the final part of reconstruction of 10 kV feeder Alpat’evo in the Lukhovitsy EGD of the Eastern Electric Grids. The feeder Alpat’evo since 1977 regularly supplied electricity to its customers, but the equipment became obsolete for 35 years of operation. According to the plan of the investment program, certain sites of this feeder have been reconstructed each after each since October 2012.

The last and most difficult stage of the project was implementation of an aerial crossing over the river. The Oka River near the settlement Slyomskie Borki, the users (including residential consumers and equipment for summer milking) of which are powered through a dead-end branch of the feeder. Subject to annual floods, energy specialists of the eastern branch attach special importance to provision of reliable power supply, exercised by way of aerial crossing.

The works scheduled for 20.03.2013 started with dismantling of old wires. This process operation was related with great difficulties due to large depreciation of wire, and presence of couplings in spans. After that 2,700 m of new steel wires (three branches, 900 meters each) of brand PS-35 were installed; additional anchor pylons with a tension string. Duration of all works was nine hours - from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and consumers, thanks to energy specialists’ technical solutions, remained to be supplied with light and warmth.

The energy management of the Lukhovitsy EGD has three aerial crossings, so this rare and, at the same time, significant and specific, in terms of technology, type of work required extensive training on the part of the contractor - LLC “FABI” (Voskresensk), and on the part of the grid organization. Including, the experts in advance surveyed steep banks of the river with overgrowth, cut down large trees, agreed borders of works with the local government, adjusted purchase of materials and performance time subject to expected date of the Oka break-up (solid ice made technological processes of works much easier).

According to Nikolay Zabotkin, deputy chief engineer of the Lukhovitsy EGD - Project Manager for grid connections, three brigades of energy specialists together with the staff of the contractor implemented aerial crossing: supervisor Morozova G.V. from the Beloomut site of LEGD (Lukhovitsy Electric Grid District), supervisors Labaznikov V.A. and Obraztsov D.V. general management was performed by Alexey Dolganov, chief engineer of the Lukhovitsy EGD.

“The most important part of the work was to be performed by the brigade of supervisor Vitaly Labaznikov, which before the work beginning prepared a scheme for disconnection of the overhead line section and its putting for repairs,” Nikolay says. “The peculiarity consisted in the fact that if you disconnected Alpat’evo feeder and put a section of OL for repairs, the consumers of the residential settlement Alpat’evo would have no voltage. To avoid this, energy specialists found an ingenious solution: together with dispatchers-on-duty, the line was disconnected and crossovers was removed quickly - within 15 minutes, and then consumers, except the zone beyond the river, were energized again.

The problem of energy supply to consumers in the settlement Slyomskie Borki in the area beyond the river was resolved differently: diesel generator set of 100 kVA in capacity DGS-100 was installed there before the beginning of works. In such a way, consumers were provided with warmth and light during the whole period of aerial crossing installation works.

The crew of Dmitry Obraztsov, together with the contractor’s personnel, performed a technological operation of installing a new wire to the opposite bank of the Oka River. It showed a high level of professionalism and ability to work in a team. The works were carried out using nine units of special equipment: two aerial platforms with the working radius of 18 and 28 meters, two drilling units, three vehicles with winches.

At exactly 5:00 pm, as it was planned, all consumers were energized under the normal scheme.

In total, 104 supports, 41 of them - complex support were replaced by new ferro-concrete ones during reconstruction of 10 kV feeder Alpat’evo with the length of nearby 6 km. 19 passages across highways and railways were implemented; aerial crossing over the river Oka was carried out; 16 km of self-supporting insulated wire SSIW-3 were installed. The project cost exceeded RUR 7 mn.

The large-scale works of reconstruction of the feeder will enable energy specialists to increase reliability and quality of electricity supply significantly in the Lukhovitsy District.