POWER October 2014 - 39

OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE
3. Traction makes a difference. Walking surfaces exposed to weather were frequently
icy. Elevated grating increased safety. Courtesy: TEP
People Make the Difference
Plants don't operate without people, and
people can be affected by winter storms
even more than equipment is in some cases.
Xcel noted that it has a robust program to
reduce risk to personnel. The company typically
starts each cold weather season with
crew briefings on cold weather and the hazards
involved so that the issue is top of mind
for all employees.
Xcel's program includes such measures
as overhangs and metal roof " ice busters " to
prevent falling ice near doorways from striking
workers. Signage is also important in
falling ice areas, and barricades are installed
where necessary. Salt and sand resources are
staged near plant doorways and walkways to
address icing issues, but boot cleats are also
important gear provided to employees, because
ice is inevitable.
At Basin Electric, when the weather
4. Adding heat. Unheated buildings are bound to be cold. Using portable heaters at least
keeps them above freezing. Courtesy: TEP
forecast indicates that a significant storm is
approaching that is expected to be a major
event, management will either call the oncoming
operations shift in early or hold the
off-going shift late so the crew doesn't find
themselves shorthanded.
" A 12-hour shift can be very long, especially
if it's a really busy time when the
weather's not cooperating and the equipment's
not behaving, " said Jacobs. " We'll
pay the overtime to keep people there and accrue
that cost because safety is a priority. We
want the employees' families to know that
they're being fed, they're being kept warm,
and being taken care of. "
Basin Electric stocks food items at each
power plant, specifically for extreme weather
events. The company also has cots on site to
make sure stranded employees have a place
to rest.
" The most important aspect of a utility is
Fuel stockpiles are another item that must
be considered going into winter. Mine mouth
plants have less to worry about, but for plants
that rely on rail transport, beginning the winter
with an adequate stockpile of coal is very
important.
" You make hay when you can, " Jacobs
said. " You're less loaded in the spring and
fall of the year, so there is some surge to the
stockpile during that timeframe. In the summer
and winter months, your stockpile will
drop to less than optimum because you're
running hard. "
Basin Electric targets around 500,000 tons
of coal in ready stockpile at Leland Olds.
Laramie River is a larger facility-three
560-MW units-so the target for that plant is
October 2014 | POWER
typically about 1 million tons. Although AVS
is a mine mouth plant, it still keeps 100,000
tons in its stockpile, but Dry Fork doesn't
maintain a stockpile at the facility because
there is adequate reserve storage between the
plant and the mine.
According to Xcel Energy's Energy Supply
business group, it also sets inventory
goals as a precautionary measure because
they anticipate weather-related disruptions
to fuel delivery. During the coldest time of
the year, an anti-freeze treatment is used on
both the coal cars and on the coal to prevent
buildup. By using coal car shakers-devices
that clamp onto coal cars to help get the coal
out-Xcel says that most of the coal is successfully
removed from the cars.
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its people to run these multi-million dollar
machines, so we take care of our people. It's
not just that we don't want people driving
out in the winter weather-that's very important-but
if they are scheduled to work
over a weekend because we expect a severe
weather incident to come, we take care of
them in that case too, " said Curt Pearson,
media and community relations manager for
Basin Electric.
Planning Ahead Saves Pain
In many parts of the country-and world-
winter is bound to bring challenges. The trick
is to prepare as much as possible to reduce
the likelihood of problems that could take a
unit offline or expose personnel to unnecessary
risks. A little planning goes a long way
toward making for an uneventful season. ■
-Aaron Larson is a POWER associate editor
(@AaronL_Power, @POWERmagazine).
39
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POWER October 2014

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