Hydro One

Hydro One’s world-leading Grid Operations Centre involved construction of a greenfield building housing an Integrated Transmission Operations Centre as part of the distribution network.

The highly secure critical facility required special design features to enable it to be fully functional under any circumstances, including a post-disaster situation, and incorporated highly reliable and maintainable electrical and mechanical systems.

The main control room was fully hardened against both natural and man-made disasters, and capable of long term independent 7/24 operation . It was constructed to have a high quality environment with “very quiet” dual redundant air conditioning systems with static electricity and humidity control, dual UPS power supplies to each control desk and projection screen, and high quality glare-free controllable lighting sources, with all systems capable of long term independent post-disaster operation.

Other aspects of the project included:

• High quality security, CCTV, and access control
• Dual redundant UPS system with hot transfer capability and maintenance bypass features
• Redundant diesel generators including dedicated fuel storage and pumping system, with the capability of connecting an additional portable unit
• Redundant 44 kV utility supplies originating from transformer stations with automatic change over and dual step down transformers and secondary 600V Switchboards
• Redundant mechanical support systems, with mechanical systems fully enclosed by the building structure