Recent power outages, including the Sept. 16 outage that resulted in the Troy campus closing at 4 p.m., are the consequence of equipment failures at the college’s CoGen plant that supplies power for the entire campus (except the new Science Center).
The CoGen plant is more than 10 years old and these equipment failures are age related. The plant has five natural gas-powered generators and one large diesel generator. Even with consistent preventive maintenance and overhauls to these engines and generators, aging equipment and components need to be upgraded and replaced.
The good news is that we have seen this coming and have numerous upgrades planned for December 2014 and early 2015 that will improve reliability, and enhance power monitoring and control for the plant. Longer-term upgrades also are planned. These upgrades will involve new technologies, operational changes and new equipment that will require additional design work, funding and time. The goal is to improve reliability of the campus’s power supply for the long term.
Physical Plant personnel understand the frustration caused by power outages and our immediate focus is on power restoration. We react immediately when power issues arise and are being proactive in our approach to improve the long-term reliability of the Co Gen Plant.
I appreciate your understanding and patience as we move forward.
Richard L. Edwards
Director of Physical Plant
Published: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 17:07:13 +0000 by r.edwards