The St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCELEC) is upgrading and reinforcing the transmission network at three of its seven substations.

At two of these substations – in Soufriere and Praslin – the work was necessitated by transformer failure. In Soufriere, the transformer shutdown in May 2012. Work to replace the damaged transformer and upgrade the protection system began on May 23, 2014. The material used in the project, like others for LUCELEC’s transmission and distribution network is sourced overseas and usually has to be designed based on need, hence the lengthy delay. The substation was subsequently commissioned in December 2014.

In Praslin, the transformer failed in November 2011. The substation repair and upgrade is now into its second and final phase. The first phase was to energize the replaced transformer. This second phase will improve the reliability of the transmission network and is expected to be completed in June 2015.

LUCELEC Assistant System Planning Engineer, Ormond Reece, said the upgrades at Soufriere will lead to improved reliability and power quality for customers, while Transmission and Distribution Manager Gilroy Pultie said customers being fed by the Praslin substation will also benefit from improvements in the quality of service.

A separate overhaul of the Castries substation was necessitated by the age of the facility. The indoor substation is over 20 years old.

“The improvements we’ve made will minimise the risks of a major failure at the substation that may compromise the reliability of the supply of electricity to the city,” said Mr. Pultie. Work on the substation was completed on February 16, 2015.