The challenge
Vineland Municipal Electric Utility (VMEU) is a municipal electric utility in southern New Jersey, servicing 35,000 citizens with electric power. VMEU was struggling in the early 2000s to meet its mission of providing reliable electric energy to its customers at the lowest possible cost. The Utility was suffering from aging infrastructure and increasing demands in the market for solar generation, increasing its instability.
The project challenges are:
- The VMEU was struggling to modernize its systems, and also to provide energy and capacity to meet the constraints of the Pennsylvania-Jersey-Maryland system.
- The traditional design-bid-build model was inadequate and city managers needed practical help in finding a solution to construct and bring new generating assets online.
Veolia’s solution
Hands-on evaluation:
At the end of a full evaluation, VMEU decided its best path forward was to revitalize its assets, enabling high penetration of renewables (solar) while maintaining a rigorous infrastructure. The multi-year program included the following key projects:
- Installation of two new power plants: Howard M. Down Unit 11 and Clayville 1
- Replacement of its Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System (SCADA)
- Upgrade of the existing West Station Power Plant so it could meet new, stringent emissions regulations
Benefits for our client
Goals surpassed:
- Acting as owner’s representative, Veolia’s energy subsidiary, SourceOne, provided technical consulting and guidance all three initiatives over a five-year period. With the completion of this three pronged program, VMEU is now positioned to meet its mission of low cost, reliable power to the 35,000 customers well into the future.
Dedicated partnership:
- Based on successful execution of the program, SourceOne continues to provide VMEU with technical services designed to support the Utility’s ongoing challenges in the marketplace.