The GTAA retained us as the Owner’s Engineers for the electrical interconnect component of a 117 MW cogeneration project. The assignment involved the planning, coordination and oversight of all work related to connecting the generation plant to both the utility distribution grid as well as to the airport power distribution system. This arrangement is unique in that the cogeneration plant is embedded within a local utility distribution grid and is simultaneously able to supply electricity and steam to the airport, thereby providing security of supply even during utility power outage conditions.

Additional challenging features of the project included a very small substation site, necessitating the use of SF6 switchgear from Germany; a fast track schedule requiring design and construction coordination of a number of substation equipment vendors, the substation contractors and the design build contractor for the cogeneration plant; a host of regulatory agencies all of whom had important technical, certification and verification requirements; and the large spectrum of engineering, economic and legal issues that required attention to detail. This project has allowed the GTAA to become self sufficient for electricity requirements as well as become a participant in Ontario's open electricity market.