Orlando, Fla., April 11, 2011 — Siemens has been awarded a contract by New Jersey-based Public Service Electric and Gas Co., for the design, engineering, manufacturing, installation, testing and commissioning of an indoor 230 kV, 4000A, 80kA gas-insulated substation and associated gas-insulated bus.

The GIS is an expansion of the existing Bergen switching station located in Ridgefield, New Jersey. The new infrastructure will help provide additional load capability and enhanced system reliability all in a small footprint. Commissioning of the substation is scheduled in stages beginning at the end of 2012 through April 2013.

The Siemens scope of supply includes the design, engineering, installation, testing and commissioning of the GIS and associated control and protection buildings, as well as the GIS breakers in a breaker-and-a-half arrangement.

The GIS technology allows construction of a substation in a significantly reduced space compared to conventional air-insulated substations.

GIS is also considered a more reliable solution with very limited maintenance and less sensitivity to potential external environmental factors. It is equipped with a gas density monitoring system in order to continuously monitor SF6 density.

The system's partial discharge sensors also predict potential partial discharge in the system, alerting the utility in advance of an irregularity that might trigger a maintenance operation.