A REPORT TO
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS OF PUBLIC UTILITIES
Electrical - NA
Protection & Control - NA
\\Q 30 JuLyTransmission & Distribution - NA
Telecontrol
System Planning - NA
Replace MDR-4000 Microwave Radio (West)
Various Locations
June 2012
newfoundland labrador
) hydroa nalcor energy company
Replace MDR-4000 Microwave Radio (West)
Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro i
SUMMARY
This proposal is for the replacement of the microwave radios on the major communications
links connecting the Stoney Brook Terminal Station with the Bay d’Espoir Hydro Plant along
with the associated multiplexing equipment. This equipment has reached the end of its
service life and can no longer be supported. The reliable transmission of communications
over this equipment is necessary for the remote control and monitoring of a significant
portion of the power grid. This includes teleprotection, SCADA (Supervisory Control and
Data Acquisition), voice and administrative data.
Replace MDR-4000 Microwave Radio (West)
Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................ i
1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 1
2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ........................................................................................................ 2
3 JUSTIFICATION .................................................................................................................... 4
3.1 Existing System .......................................................................................................... 4
3.2 Operating Experience ................................................................................................ 7
3.2.1 Reliability Performance .................................................................................. 7
3.2.2 Industry Experience ....................................................................................... 7
3.2.3 Vendor Recommendations ............................................................................ 8
3.2.4 Maintenance or Support Arrangements ........................................................ 8
3.2.5 Maintenance History ..................................................................................... 8
3.2.6 Historical Information .................................................................................... 8
3.2.7 Anticipated Useful Life ................................................................................... 8
3.3 Development of Alternatives ..................................................................................... 9
4 CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................... 10
4.1 Budget Estimate ....................................................................................................... 10
4.2 Project Schedule ...................................................................................................... 11
APPENDIX A ...................................................................................................................... A1
Replace MDR-4000 Microwave Radio (West)
Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro 1
1 INTRODUCTION
Hydro currently maintains an Island wide communications system for the support of the
power generation, transmission and distribution facilities.
This project will replace the remaining high-capacity OC-03 MDR-4000 microwave radios that
were installed in 1999 between the Stoney Brook Terminal Station and the Bay d’Espoir
Hydroelectric Generation Station including the upgrade or replacement of the Telnar 1603
Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) multiplexer to include Ethernet access. The
multiplexers were also installed in 1999. This radio system provides teleprotection,
supervisory control, departmental and administrative voice and administrative data between
Hydro Place and the Bay d’Espoir, Upper Salmon and Granite Canal hydroelectric generating
stations. High speed and highly reliable telecommunication facilities are required to ensure
the stability and reliability of the provincial power grid.
Multiplexers are data conversion units used extensively in communication networks to
multiplex (combine and/or break out) multiple lower speed circuits for different equipment
and purposes, into higher speed data circuits. These higher speed circuits are then suitable
for transmission by the microwave radio. The particular grade of multiplexer considered for
replacement in this report is a SONET multiplexer which has 155 Mbps connections to the
radio and primarily DS1 (1.544 Mbps) connections for the lower speed connections.
This proposal is to replace radios in the west portion of the Hydro microwave system. A
separate proposal to replace radios in the east portion of the Hydro microwave system is to
be submitted in the future.
Replace MDR-4000 Microwave Radio (West)
Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro 2
2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The radio links to be replaced are listed in Table 1. The 1603 multiplexers to be replaced are
listed in Table 2. It is proposed to replace the existing Alcatel MDR-4000 microwave radios
with Alcatel MDR-8000 radios with the same data capacity using the same frequencies.
Table 1: MDR-4000 Radio to be Replaced
Radio Location Toward
1 Stoney Brook Terminal Station Sandy Brook Hill Microwave Repeater Site
2 Sandy Brook Hill Microwave Repeater Site Stoney Brook Terminal Station
3 Sandy Brook Hill Microwave Repeater Site Gull Pond Hill Microwave Repeater Site
4 Gull Pond Hill Microwave Repeater Site Sandy Brook Hill Microwave Repeater Site
5 Gull Pond Hill Microwave Repeater Site Bay d’Espoir Hill Microwave Repeater Site
6 Bay d’Espoir Hill Microwave Repeater Site Gull Pond Hill Microwave Repeater Site
Table 2: 1603 Multiplexers to be Replaced
Multiplexer Location Toward Multiplexer(s) at
1 Stoney Brook Terminal Station Sandy Brook Hill Microwave Repeater Site
2 Sandy Brook Hill Microwave Repeater Site Stoney Brook Terminal Station
and Bay d’Espoir Hill Microwave Site
3 Bay d’Espoir Hill Microwave Site Sandy Brook Hill Microwave Repeater Site
and Bay d’Espoir Hydro Plant
4 Bay d’Espoir Hydro Plant Bay d’Espoir Hill Microwave Site
The Alcatel MDR-8000 microwave radio is currently utilized elsewhere in the Hydro
microwave radio system. A map of the system is shown in Figure 1. This allows Hydro to
utilize the existing spares, training and mock-ups currently available.
Replace MDR-4000 Microwave Radio (West)
Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro 3
Modules from the retired equipment will be used to prolong the service life of other links in
the system.
The choice to upgrade or replace the 1603 multiplexers will be made during the detailed
design phase of the project based on functionality, reliability, cost and expected life cycles.
Note that while the microwave radios and multiplexers are a critical component of the
microwave facilities, they are part of the overall infrastructure which includes equipment
shelters, large stationary batteries, backup generators, high towers, waveguide, antennas and
many other support items. None of this equipment is proposed for replacement by this
proposal.
Replace MDR-4000 Microwave Radio (West)
Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro 4
3 JUSTIFICATION
The project is justified on the need to replace obsolete equipment. The Alcatel MDR- 4000
radio has been discontinued by the manufacturer since 2004. The manufacturer has also
discontinued the guaranteed return and repair of failed modules since 2009 due to the
obsolescence of the components within the modules. Failed modules have been returned as
un-repairable in 2011 as a result.
Hydro has obtained some components from the used market, however this supply is
unreliable. Some components were also obtained from the microwave link decommissioned
in 2010 between the Bay d’Espoir Hill microwave site and the Bay d’Espoir hydroelectric
generating station to extend the life of the radios to this time.
The replacement of the radio system is required to ensure a reliable and safe provincial
power system. The spares freed up from this capital project will extend the life of the MDR-
4000 radios on the Avalon Peninsula until the scheduled replacement in 2016.
3.1 Existing System
Hydro has a network of seven gigahertz (GHz) frequency microwave radio, by which corporate
communications and system data are transmitted. The microwave radio system provides the
backbone for corporate voice and data communications.
Traffic carried over the microwave system includes:
• Teleprotection signals for the provincial transmission system;
• Data pertaining to Hydro’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system;
• Data pertaining to the corporate administrative system; and
• Operational and administrative voice systems.
The existing microwave network is composed of the main backbone of a series of SONET
radios from the Energy Control Center (ECC) in St. John’s to the Sandy Brook Hill Microwave
Replace MDR-4000 Microwave Radio (West)
Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro 5
Repeater Site and from the Stoney Brook Terminal Station to the Bay d’Espoir Hydro Plant.
The SONET capacity is 155 Mbps (OC-3).
Secondary, lower capacity microwave links and other communications methods are fed from
the main microwave backbone as shown in Figure 1.
The site locations and links affected are shown in Figure 1 with the specific equipment at each
site detailed in Table 1 and Table 2. The string of microwave links affected are from the Stony
Brook Terminal Station (STB) in the North central part of the Island to the Bay d’Espoir Hydro
Plant (BDE) in the South central part of the Island. There is a list of station abbreviations used
in Figure 1 provided in Appendix A.
Replace MDR-4000 Microwave Radio (West)
Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro 6
Figure 1: NLH Telecommunications Network showing the Microwave Radios
Replace MDR-4000 Microwave Radio (West)
Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro 7
3.2 Operating Experience
The original Alcatel MDR4000 radio and 1603 multiplexers were installed in 1999 and have
proved to be a valuable asset in the remote control and monitoring of the provincial power
system. However, the equipment has been discontinued by Alcatel.
3.2.1 Reliability Performance
The communications equipment proposed for replacement is an integral part of the
communications used for monitoring and control of the power grid requiring a very high
reliability in order to provide the continuous support. The path design parameter used is
99.9999 % availability. Redundant hardware and multiple frequencies are used to achieve
this design.
3.2.1.1 Outage Statistics
The following are the communications outage events since 2005:
Table 3: Outage Statistics
STB - BDE Microwave Outage Statistics
Time of Outage Outage Duration
2009 - Summer 2 hours
2008 - Spring 6 hours
2005 - Winter 30 minutes
2005 - Spring 2.5 hours
3.2.2 Industry Experience
Power utilities throughout North America use dedicated microwave systems in support of its
operations in the same way that Hydro uses its system and use the type of equipment listed
for replacement in this proposal. All of the major power utilities in Canada have similar
systems. Special permission and frequencies are allocated by Industry Canada for this
requirement. It is a common practice for utilities to replace this equipment in a planned
proactive method to avoid communications outages.
Replace MDR-4000 Microwave Radio (West)
Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro 8
3.2.3 Vendor Recommendations
The vendor has discontinued the MDR-4000 microwave being replaced and has
recommended the MDR-8000 microwave as a replacement, as proposed in this report.
3.2.4 Maintenance or Support Arrangements
Corrective and preventative maintenance of the equipment is provided by internal forces.
There is also an existing technical support agreement with Alcatel to provide detailed
hardware and software support. The replacement equipment will be maintained using the
same arrangement.
3.2.5 Maintenance History
Detailed preventative and corrective maintenance costs have not been kept on this
equipment. A total of $115,000 has been recorded since 1999.
3.2.6 Historical Information
There has been one similar project completed in the last five years. The project was for the
replacement of the microwave radio between the Bay d’Espoir Hydroelectric Generating
Station and the Bay d’Espoir Hill microwave site. There were no multiplexer replacements.
Table 4: Historical Information
Year Capital Budget
($000)
Actual
Expenditures
($000)
Units Cost per
unit ($000) Comments
2010 488.7 375.0 2 radios 187.0
3.2.7 Anticipated Useful Life
Hydro microwave radio equipment is depreciated over 22 years. However, the useful service
life can vary depending on the vendor support, and the availability of spares.
Replace MDR-4000 Microwave Radio (West)
Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro 9
3.3 Development of Alternatives
There are no viable alternatives to this proposal at this time. The existing microwave
infrastructure is the only available facilities for providing the required communications to this
part of the island.
Replace MDR-4000 Microwave Radio (West)
Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro 10
4 CONCLUSION
The replacement of this microwave equipment is necessary in order to prevent outages
caused by the failure of older equipment that can no longer be supported for the high
reliability required for critical, high speed, low latency communications.
This replacement proposed by Hydro is based on operational experience and manufacturer’s
recommendations.
Due to financial and operational risks associated with the failure of corporate microwave
equipment, this project is required to minimize the likelihood of failure of these microwave
radios.
4.1 Budget Estimate
The budget estimate for this project is shown in Table 5.
Table 5: Project Budget Estimate
Project Cost:($ x1,000) 2013 2014 Beyond Total
Material Supply 400.0 73.6 0.0 473.6
Labour 90.0 307.6 0.0 397.6
Consultant 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Contract Work 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Other Direct Costs 22.0 41.4 0.0 63.4
Interest and Escalation 27.0 97.4 0.0 124.4
Contingency 0.0 186.9 0.0 186.9
TOTAL 539.0 706.9 0.0 1,245.9
Replace MDR-4000 Microwave Radio (West)
Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro 11
4.2 Project Schedule
The anticipated project schedule is shown in Table 6.
Table 6: Proposed Project Schedule
Activity Start Date End Date
Planning Complete a detailed schedule and budget
with resource assignments. January 2013 March 2013
Design Complete site visits. Complete a detailed
design with all items and outages identified. April 2013 November 2013
Procurement Complete all ordering and detailed schedules
for delivery. October 2013 February 2014
Construction Complete all outage requests and install and
test all equipment at site. May 2014 June 2014
Commissioning Cutover new equipment during staged
communications outages. July 2014 August 2014
Closeout Complete all drawings and project
management closeout procedures. November 2014 December 2014
Replace MDR-4000 Microwave Radio (West)
Appendix A
Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro A1
APPENDIX A
Site Abbreviations
Replace MDR-4000 Microwave Radio (West)
Appendix A
Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro A2
Abbreviation Site Name
BAH Bull Arm Hill Microwave/Repeater
BDE Bay d’Espoir Hydro Plant
BDH Bay d’Espoir Hill Microwave/Repeater
BFI Bishop Falls Office
BGH Blue Grass Hill Microwave/Repeater
BUC Buchans Terminal Station
CAH Chapel Arm Hill Microwave/Repeater
CBC Come By Chance Terminal Station
DLK Deer Lake Terminal Station
DLP Deer Lake Passive Repeater
ECC Energy Control Center
FMH Four Mile Hill Microwave/Repeater
GCH Granite Canal Hill Microwave
GDH Godaleich Hill Microwave/Repeater
GPH Gull Pond Hill Microwave
HRP Holyrood Plant
HWD Hardwoods Terminal Station
MMH Mary March Hill Microwave
NDH Notre Dame Hill
OPD Oxen Pond Terminal Station
PHH Petty Harbour Hill Microwave/Repeater
SBH Sandy Brook Hill Microwave
SHH Shoal Harbour Hill
SPH Square Pond Hill
SSD Sunnyside Terminal Station
STB Stony Brook Terminal Station
USL Upper Salmon Plant
WAP Western Avalon Passive Repeater
WAV Western Avalon Terminal Station