The replacement of the HV Switchboard involves installing modern, high-voltage equipment to enhance the hospital’s electrical systems, safety and performance. This upgrade is part of a broader effort to improve the hospital’s infrastructure, supporting its ability to provide high-quality healthcare services.
Playfords were engaged on a project at the Princess Alexander Hospital, which is a regional NHS Trust hospital. The HV electrical infrastructure serving the hospital had been upgraded to 3MVA from 0.75MVA via a direct order to UKPN (DNO). The intake HV electrical infrastructure equipment required replacement and upgrading. To minimise disruption to business continuity, a phased installation was adopted to reduce power outages intrinsic with works of this nature.
The existing Trust owned HV intake switchgear sat in a walled compound, located in the North side boiler house area. It serves North transformer via a radial feeder and has a ring feeder A & B circuit supplying south side RMU close coupled transformer and recently installed N3A & N3B RMU close coupled transformers.
The site has two generator compounds, one at each side of the site, North and South. The HV switchboard infrastructure upgrade scheme provided a new Trust owned A & B HV switchboard, fed via two separately metered UKPN feeder cables rated at 3MVA per feeder. The Trust HV ring circuit was migrated onto the new HV switchboard. It cut into the existing HV cabling and allowed for a staged changeover to the new HV switchboard, whilst minimising the risk to the hospital.
Due to the technical nature of the works, and the need to maintain the Hospitals site power and standards, several specialist suppliers were be engaged for certain elements of works.
Playfords were responsible for the overall delivery of the works and engaged a specialist HV Switchboard manufacturer. The new HV switchboard was supplied and installed by SPE Energy, under a direct order from the Trust. Playfords liaised directly with SPE Energy to allow for the delivery and installation of this new HV switchboard, and ancillary equipment.
Playfords were responsible for the supply and installation of the HV cabling emanating from the new HV switchboard, including interconnecting HV cabling, control cabling, BMS cabling and containment to enable all aspects of the new intake substation to be brought together into one coordinated and unified system.
This involved careful strategic planning to transfer connected load from the existing switchgear to the new and reconfiguration of the HV network to integrate the new system, without interruption to the hospital.
The project involved a lot of civils works to expose buried cables, safe isolation methods and HV jointing. Once the reconfiguration was completed, the ground works were made good and surfaces replaced. The new HV Switchroom and control room required extensive builders works which was planned and overseen by Playfords. This included the installation of new fire doors and firestopping by accredited specialists.