Odd Utility Requirement?

[charlie b]

Extensive beach cleanup project on an island off the coast of Seattle. Contractor needs to bring large processing equipment, but can't (for reasons I don't know) give us the equipment specs (not even an estimate of the load). Utility (Puget Sound Energy) says the max transformer they can install is 750 KVA (900 FLA). I am told that they insist on switchgear configuration for a main service panel over 800 amps. I have not been able to confirm or refute that information. But it sounds absurd to me.

Anyone encountered a situation like this?

 

[Hv&Lv]

750 seems like a small transformer to stop at..
We stop at 2.5M

 

[Jraef]

All I can think of is that for some reason they want the longer withstand times of UL1558 gear, as opposed to UL891 that has no short-time rating requirement. The part that's strange to me is why they (as the utility provider) would care? That's usually an end user decision.

 

[tom baker]

Extensive beach cleanup project on an island off the coast of Seattle. Contractor needs to bring large processing equipment, but can't (for reasons I don't know) give us the equipment specs (not even an estimate of the load). Utility (Puget Sound Energy) says the max transformer they can install is 750 KVA (900 FLA). I am told that they insist on switchgear configuration for a main service panel over 800 amps. I have not been able to confirm or refute that information. But it sounds absurd to me.

Anyone encountered a situation like this?

Is the requirement in the PSE commercial customer service handbook?

 

[hillbilly1]

Probably the biggest they have in the yard, and sounds like a temporary install, so they don’t want to buy two. I did a 400 amp 480 volt temp service for a concrete mixer, the poco balked at running a line down to it, even though it was all overhead. They didn’t think they would make their money back on it when the road was done. ( they were paving about 20 miles of new four lane highway) The construction company said Fine! We have a generator we can bring in big enough to run the plant. Poco ended up making some deal, as they built the line, and hung the transformers.

 

[charlie b]

Please accept my thanks for your responses and my apologies on behalf of the junior engineer who misread the PSE handbook. He didn't know the difference between switchboards (what PSE requires) and switchgear.

C'est la vie!

 

[electrofelon]

Please accept my thanks for your responses and my apologies on behalf of the junior engineer who misread the PSE handbook. He didn't know the difference between switchboards (what PSE requires) and switchgear.

C'est la vie!

IIRC correctly that is the same requirement Seattle City Light has and it is for metering purposes. You can use a CT cabinet up to 800 amps, but over that you need a switchboard with an integral metering section.