The existing 300-kilowatt emergency back-up generator and main switchboard inside Generator Building No. 1 at the Western Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility (WRWWTF) had both surpassed their reliable life spans and needed to be replaced. Under a continuing design-build contract, Palm Beach County Water Utililities Department (PBCWUD) hired Globaltech to design, permit, and install a new generator system.

The project included removing and recycling the old generator and main switchboard from Generator Building No. 1, then sealing and insulating the building, installing air conditioning to provide a temperature-controlled environment, installing a new main switchboard, and upgrading other electrical controls.

The new generator system included a new 500 kW diesel-engine generator with an integrated noise-attenuating aluminum enclosure mounted on top of a 4,500-gallon belly fuel tank.

Project Achievements / Benefits

• The small existing generator (circa 1982) could not power all loads connected to the main switchboard (MSB-1). The new generator is capable of supplying emergency power to all the connected loads plus expected future loads.
• The new stand-alone generator sits on a reinforced concrete slab built on auger-cast piles due to poor soil conditions.
• During the project, Globaltech minimized facility downtime by performing some of the work at night.
• Globaltech coordinated with Florida Power & Light to replace the 40-year-old transformers.