Project Case Study: Mid Murray Council Back Up Power Generator
Date: June 2013
Solutions: Backup Power Diesel Generator
Location: Mannum, South Australia
The Mid Murray Council governs and provides services to the Murraylands, Riverland and eastern slopes of Mount Lofty Ranges areas. One of the major features and well known landmarks of the Council’s region is the Murray River, which offers many commercial and leisure benefits, and primary production industries. The area also faces a busy tourist season throughout the summer months that see an increase in population to nearly twenty thousand people.
With Council offices at Mannum, Cambrai and Morgan, the Mid Murray Council services a robust and active community.
The Council, understandably, wanted to be shrewd and prepared when it came to potential outages and power failures. Without the proper preparedness, the Council could have put themselves at a significant disadvantage when it comes to servicing the people of the area, particularly during the summer months when the tourist population swells.
Given the nature of the area, power outages can be a frequent occurrence and the Council realised the importance of being well equipped with a backup generator. The community members’ needs and safety are paramount during these times.
CSS implemented a 22.5kVA Perkins Open Set diesel model of backup generator at the principal and administration office in Mannum, to ensure the Council’s much needed power supplies were met.
They also required a failsafe method of ensuring that fundamental and council services would remain efficient and in service, especially during times of inconvenience such as a power outage. These services include Council reception, meeting rooms, computer systems and IT departments, and staff offices plus other important areas that are utilised in emergency situations.
Many employees are able to continue their workload and the Council can operate at an effective level, ensuring their constituents are looked after and serviced to the best of their ability during restricted situations.
Alongside the backup generator installation, CSS implemented some key maintenance and technical aspects such as installing a steel mesh screen to protect the generator, a new functional essential distribution switchboard (ESS DB), which supplies power from the mains switch, offering the potential to connect critical circuits, or even the whole site.
The new switchboard also ensures that there is a seamless transition between the mains power and backup generator power, if and when the need occurs.
During the statewide blackout in late 2016, the Mid Murray Council’s data, equipment and systems were kept protected and procedures could continue without disruption due to the backup generator that had been installed. They were amongst very few Councils unaffected by this during this major outage.
The long term benefits of this investment are many and have already proved themselves fruitful for the Mid Murray Council.
‘Having the backup generator not only gives us peace of mind but has allowed for fundamental Council services to continue when required,’ Kim O’Malley, Mid Murray Council.
To find out more about how we can keep your workplace safe during power outages, please contact us today.
