Electrical upgrades to KLH on the way with two new emergency backup generators
By Colin Payne
Kootenay Lake Hospital is set to get some upgrades to its electrical system over the next year or so, as Interior Health has plans to install two new backup power generators and build a new electrical building at the local hospital.
The new generators will provide emergency power to the hospital during power outages and will replace the previous single generator previously installed in 2000.
“The need to increase the capacity and add a second generator became more apparent with the addition of the new emergency department,” said Steve McEwan, IHA’s director of plant services.
Adding the generators and the new electrical building will be a major boost for KLH, as the new system will provide full backup power, while the old generator only provided support for vital systems.
“The new generators will provide 100 percent backup power, while the existing generator only supplies vital loads,” McEwan said.
Funding for the project totals $3.6 million, with 40 percent coming from the West Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital District (WKBRHD) and 60 percent from Interior Health.
The original plan for backup power at KLH from 2013 saw just one generator being installed at a cost of $1.95 million, but since then IHA learned that to met CSA standards two new generators and the electrical building for electrical “switch gear” and distribution, would be needed.
“This upgrade will ensure KLH is in compliance with CSA Z32-09 standards for electrical safety and essential electrical systems in an acute health care facility,” McEwan said. “The standard ensures the electrical systems have the redundancy, capacity and automation to support the operational requirements in the event of an external loss of electrical power.”
McEwan says the plan is to begin installation this summer, with completion anticipated by summer, 2016.
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The WKBRHD funding portion of the $3.6 million price tag on the generators totals $1.44 million, with $780,000 from the original funding request and another $660,000 that was recently requested for updated cost for the new plan to install two generators.
IHA has been waiting for the further funding to be approved by the WKBRHD, and Nelson mayor Deb Kozak – who sits on the board of the WKBRHD – said the budget for the project was recently given the go-ahead.
She adds that she’s happy to see Nelson’s local hospital getting these upgrades.
“I think it’s a great thing that we do upgrades to our hospital and continue to improve it,” Kozak said. “It’s important to us to maintain and improve on the building. And there have been steady improvements every year.”
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