Discover Lucelec > Operations

Generation | Transmission and Distribution | Administration

Lucelec is in business for the people of St. Lucia. We are working hard to build for the future - staying ahead of demand, increasing safety and reliability, introducing the most efficient, state of the art technologies available. We are striving for better communications with our customers to respond even better to their needs.

Generation

The Generation Department is charged with the responsibility of producing a reliable and cost effective supply of electricity for the citizens of St. Lucia. The department operates a modern computerized generating facility, namely the Cul-de-Sac Power Station which houses nine generators with an available capacity of 76 MW.

During 2008 a total of 352.34 million electricity units were generated compared with 345.70 million in 2007, an increase of 1.9%. The system peak demand increased to 54.1MW from 52.7MW in the previous year and forced outages decreased to 20 from 27 in the previous year. Annual load growth is expected at an average of 2.3% over the next five years.

There are three main sections within the Generation Department, namely Operations, Maintenance and Garage Services. The Operations section ensures the safe and efficient running of the generators, and all existing equipment in the station. The section is staffed with Shift Operations Supervisors and Shift Attendants who rotate on an eight hour shift basis, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. A computerized distributed control system is used to monitor and control plant operations.

The Maintenance section has the responsibility of maintaining all plant at the facility. This maintenance is done in conjunction with approved practices and recommendations from the equipment manufacturers. There is also a computerized maintenance management system which facilitates the tracking and planning of all maintenance activities. A team of experienced supervisors, mechanics, electricians and technical clerks combine their efforts to ensure the continued long life and excellent service of the plant.

Garage Services maintains the fleet of about 60 vehicles which are ever present in the community attending to problems and providing supplies to new and existing customers. The section is staffed by the garage supervisor and his team of experienced mechanics.

In 2003 the Company received for consistently being the best maintained Wartsila Diesel Power Plant Worldwide from 1998 – 2002.

Transmission and Distribution

The Transmission & Distribution Department is responsible for the overall management of the Transmission & Distribution system. This includes the design, erection, operation, maintenance and security of all facilities used to transmit, distribute and supply electricity to individual customers. This includes all poles, lines, transformers and substations. There are 7 substations, located at Cul De Sac, Castries, Union, Reduit, Soufriere, Vieux Fort and Praslin. The department comprises three major sections: Inspection & Maintenance, Substation Maintenance, and Customer Services.

Transmission voltage is 66kV across 73.32 miles of transmission lines. Distribution voltage is 11kV across 2566 miles of distribution lines. Customers are supplied at 240V Single Phase, and 415V three Phase.

The Department’s emphasis for 2008 was the reinforcement of the distribution system, particularly the low voltage distribution, and the installation of additional field switches, fuses and fault indicators to enhance reliability. Reliability improved dramatically over 2007 although it is becoming increasingly difficult to improve at rates experienced in the past. There were fewer safety violations and no reportable injury accidents. System losses for 2008 were limited to 10.2%. The final overall SAIDI figure for 2008 was 7.63 hours.

The department is in the process of rolling out an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and expects to install 14,000 smart meters by the end of 2009.

Administration

Lucelec is committed to improving customer service and reducing the cost of operations in all areas of the company.

Currently all customer enquiries, requests and payments are handled at the Company's Administration offices in Castries, Rodney Bay and Vieux Fort. Payment transactions can also be conducted at a number of banks and Credit Co-operatives islandwide. In the very near future, the Company will launch an automated telephone inquiry service, which will allow customers to receive 24-hour account information at a time of their convenience.

The company utilises the IBM iSeries eServer, one of the most advanced computer systems available today, and a specialised software module for its billing operations. This enables us to effectively manage over 50,000 customer accounts. Computer facilities have been greatly expanded throughout the company, providing all operating centres access to the information they need to manage efficiently in an increasingly demanding environment.

All employees are required to have a formal qualification for employment, and almost 10% are professionally qualified to degree level. There is an in-house training capability for all but the most skilled professional needs. There is a continuing focus on the need to prepare for the future and all the company's training programs place a high priority on this.