BajaNomad - CFE Mid Baja Electric System Damage ?

CFE Mid Baja Electric System Damage ?

ElFaro - 9-3-2009 at 11:36 AM

I am a bit knowledgable of CFE's high voltage electric transmission system down in the Mid-Baja region. I believe CFE provides electricity to Mulege and Loreto from a single 110kV circuit from their Mag. Bay powerplant / substation. This is a very long circuit for this voltage level...probably 100-150 miles. This circuit is on spaced steel lattice towers that run at the base of the mountain range parallel to the coast. I believe there is a smaller electric line that runs from G. Negro to Sta. Rosalia along the hwy. but is at 34.5kV and much lower capacity. The circuit from Mag. Bay to Loreto/Mulege was energized in the late 1980's or early 90's...not sure. If these lattice towers were compromised (strength) then rebuilding will take time...boom trucks, lineman, conductor, splices, etc. Not sure of the terrain/vegetation in the way to get to the tower sites. The line will have to be patrolled either or both by air and on the ground. Electricity at 110,000 volts is uncompromising. Damaged conductor will have to be replaced...this may require cable trucks. There may even be damaged tower foundations in which case removal and replacement of concrete footings, etc. CFE will have to bring manpower, supplies, and possibly portable generators in from across the gulf via barge. With damage of this magnitude (towns, villages, farms, etc. of thousands of people) you need assistance at the national govt. level (millions/billions of pesos). I don't know how much damage may have been sustained at their power plant and substations. BTW...the line to Loreto crosses over the peninsula in some fairly mountainous areas. This will all have to be patrolled also. That's just the transmission system...the distribution system down to the individual customer...alot of repair no doubt. Shari mentioned 6 days no power...if no portable gens...(I'm talking big stuff...50kW-250kW) then maybe 2 weeks or more if the transmission line is severely damaged over the peninsula and up the coast to Mulege.

TMW - 9-5-2009 at 08:10 AM

After looking at the pictures Capt. Mike put up it may be a good thing power is off for a while while they clean up the down wiring. People need to be careful when they do bring power on line. Here's wishing the best for those in the hit areas.

EngineerMike - 9-5-2009 at 01:37 PM

Per Mulege assistant fire chief this a.m., projected electrical service in Mulege should be back online on Thursday, 9/10. Elec service is back on in StaRosalia as of yesterday.

Water service restoration projected same day.

These are probably on-the-fly estimates but include discussion w/the affected utilities; best info available at this minute.

KurtG - 9-5-2009 at 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ElFaro
I am a bit knowledgable of CFE's high voltage electric transmission system down in the Mid-Baja region. I believe CFE provides electricity to Mulege and Loreto from a single 110kV circuit from their Mag. Bay powerplant / substation. This is a very long circuit for this voltage level...probably 100-150 miles. This circuit is on spaced steel lattice towers that run at the base of the mountain range parallel to the coast. I believe there is a smaller electric line that runs from G. Negro to Sta. Rosalia along the hwy. but is at 34.5kV and much lower capacity. The circuit from Mag. Bay to Loreto/Mulege was energized in the late 1980's or early 90's...not sure. If these lattice towers were compromised (strength) then rebuilding will take time...boom trucks, lineman, conductor, splices, etc. Not sure of the terrain/vegetation in the way to get to the tower sites. The line will have to be patrolled either or both by air and on the ground. Electricity at 110,000 volts is uncompromising. Damaged conductor will have to be replaced...this may require cable trucks. There may even be damaged tower foundations in which case removal and replacement of concrete footings, etc. CFE will have to bring manpower, supplies, and possibly portable generators in from across the gulf via barge. With damage of this magnitude (towns, villages, farms, etc. of thousands of people) you need assistance at the national govt. level (millions/billions of pesos). I don't know how much damage may have been sustained at their power plant and substations. BTW...the line to Loreto crosses over the peninsula in some fairly mountainous areas. This will all have to be patrolled also. That's just the transmission system...the distribution system down to the individual customer...alot of repair no doubt. Shari mentioned 6 days no power...if no portable gens...(I'm talking big stuff...50kW-250kW) then maybe 2 weeks or more if the transmission line is severely damaged over the peninsula and up the coast to Mulege.

The line to Loreto from the south does not continue to Mulege and the line into Mulege from the north does not go any further south than the Tiburon microwave site a few miles south of town.

flyfishinPam - 9-5-2009 at 06:07 PM

Went to tabor cyn this morning stayed
most of the day on returning there were two semi sized generators feeding the substation near nopolo next to caligas. Therecwas a double diesel tanker there too. When I retuned home to lto the Luz was back on. The futbol games are on now. I wonder if it will be on 24/7? Or what kind of limitations it has? Yesterday the anuncia truck said Luz would be back "Monday or Tuesday" and that generators would be at gas stations hospital police and water purification stores. Today ingot gas atbstation at padre kino before going to tabor and no line. Fishin mañana and thinking about how lucky we are.

San Carlos - Loreto 110 kV Transmission Line

ElFaro - 9-5-2009 at 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by KurtG
The line to Loreto from the south does not continue to Mulege and the line into Mulege from the north does not go any further south than the Tiburon microwave site a few miles south of town.

The 110kV line from the south does not need to go all the way to Mulege. But a lower voltage line (e.g. 34.5 kV) I believe comes from the substation that the 110kV line from the south drops down into. I don't remember where the substation is but I believe it is the main feed for Loreto and Mulege. Loreto and Mulege are small loads...between 2 and 10 MW. The main problem CFE has is voltage control for such a long high impedance line. Lots of charging current to deal with at the load end. Also frequency oscillations and voltage transients from faults and line disturbances (e.g. lightning, fog, insulator contamination, etc.).

ElFaro - 9-5-2009 at 10:38 PM

After reading Pams post again it sounds like the 110kV substation is at Nopolo...in which case CFE is directly energizing and feeding the 34.5 kV bus and has probably switched out and grounded the 110kV side to work on the line. The semi-sized generators are in the 500kW - 1000kW range. They would normally have two there...run one and have the other as backup.

KurtG - 9-6-2009 at 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ElFaro

Quote:

No line of any sort runs from Loreto north to Mulege. Mulege's power comes from the north. I don't know the original source but Santa Rosalia used to have a diesel plant and then there is the geothermal at Tres Virgenes and the major power plant at Vizcaino which you drive past if you head out to Asuncion or Bahia Tortugas.

ElFaro - 9-6-2009 at 02:50 PM

Well KurtG...You know more about it than I do. Usually utilities will run a line between two sub-systems in case they need to switch over for emergencies. It looks like CFE doesn't connect between Mulege and Nopolo. I wasn't aware of the geothermal plant. It looks like they have sufficient back up plants from G. Negro to Sta. Rosalia to Mulege along that 34.5 kV line. It actually may be a 92kV line. I'll check with some engineers I know in CFE in Mexicali if they know the system there. Thanks...