IMPA Service Corp
Quality and competitively priced electric services for municipally owned utilities.
IMPA Service Corp, a not-for-profit corporation, was formed by IMPA to provide cost-effective services beyond power supply and transmission to IMPA’s members and other municipal electric utilities.
Many of IMPA’s members needed engineering, project management, rate design, management consulting and retail customer services they could not cost-effectively provide with in-house staff. These members recognized they could meet these needs in an economic manner by working together. Today, IMPA Service Corp provides these cost-effective services to municipally owned utilities throughout the state.
In 2013, IMPA Service Corp launched its Operations division to assist municipally-owned utilities in solving issues, both large and small, and ensuring a quality electric service to customers in member communities. The group provides assistance in the areas of system management, distribution utility services, and outage restoration and substation maintenance at not-for-profit rates.
Operations
IMPA Service Corp Operations offers system operation and maintenance services to municipally owned electric utilities in Indiana. By providing assistance in the areas of system management, distribution utility services, and outage restoration and substation maintenance, IMPA’s experienced crews and staff work with your utility to solve issues, large and small, and ensure a quality electric service to your customers.
System Management
System Management Services are available to any IMPA member interested in outsourcing the operating functions of their utility, whether on a temporary or permanent basis. Utilities would then be able to educate their own staff resources to assist in other areas where needed. Additionally, members avoid the need to hire and pay for full-time, qualified personnel, reducing the cost burden on the municipality.
Routine System Maintenance and Equipment Replacement
Our crews are available to assist with routine system maintenance, large-scale construction projects, and substantial rebuild construction projects. System planning and engineering assistance is also available to those members desiring to single-source their system’s planning, maintenance, and construction needs.
Emergency and Storm Restoration
Aimed at reducing the duration of distribution system power outages, IMPA Service Corp has regional alliances for the purpose of providing IMPA’s smaller members with adequate line personnel and equipment in the event of an outage on their system. Our Operations crew will coordinate the procedures and staffing requirements for outage response to participating members.
Engineering and Project Management Services
Transmission and Distribution System Planning and Protection
- Develop settings for electro-mechanical or microprocessor based relays
- Create complete protection schemes for substations including protection for:
- Power Transformers
- High and Low Voltage Buses
- High and Low Voltage Circuit Breakers
- Create complete protection schemes for distribution lines including protection for:
- Distribution Feeder Breaker/Recloser
- In-line reclosers or sectionalizers
- Downstream fusing recommendations
- Construct specification documents for SCADA systems
Transmission and Distribution Engineering Design and Project Management
- Develop routes for the placement of new distribution or transmission lines
- Pole Loading analysis of new or existing poles to determine recommended pole size and class
- Create plans for re-conductoring existing pole lines
- Project management services that include interaction with the on-site contractor, coordination of equipment delivery, etc.
Substation Planning and Project Management
Develop site layout and plan for the construction of new substations which will include:
- Steel Structure layout
- Specifications for all major equipment
- Ground Grid Design
- On-site project management and oversight
- Relay protection schemes and panel layout
- Control Building specification
- Retro-fit existing substations for the addition of a new transformer, metal-clad switchgear or upgrades to protective relaying
Development of System Maintenance Programs and Procedures
- Develop 5, 10, and 15 year plans for system upgrades and equipment replacements
- Produce general practice documents for the installation and inspection of major equipment
- Perform a system-wide Arc Flash analysis and make recommendations for personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Help create, review and execute system switch orders to de-energize or restore distribution lines for maintenance
System Power Quality Monitoring and Power Factor Assessment
- Monitor specific customer locations to determine power quality problems
- Develop methods of reducing system losses
- Review system loading data to determine amount of power factor correction needed for the system
- Develop the size and determine placement of the capacitor bank to help reduce or eliminate penalties paid due to poor power factor
- Recent Projects:
- Lawrenceburg, IN — IMPA Service Corp was able to create a system model for Lawrenceburg and determine the size and placement of capacitors on their distribution system to eliminate their power factor penalty for most months of the year.
System Infrared Observations
Use infrared scans to observe and diagnose common hot-spot problems such as:
- Loose connections
- Failure of insulating materials (bushings, insulators, etc.)
- Premature failure of power fuses
- Potential issues in metal-clad switchgear
- Maintaining underground equipment such as padmount transformers and underground cables
Rate & Management Services
Cost-of-Service Studies
IMPA Service Corp prepares all aspects of electric rate studies for members, including:
- Gathering data from the various resources
- Establishing the revenue requirements
- Developing the cost-of-service studies which allocate the utility costs appropriately to each rate classification
- Utilizing the cost-of-service study results to prepare the rate design
- Preparing rate comparisons of the proposed rate design to rates of other utilities
- Presenting the results of the study to member staff and Councils
- Assisting with preparing and supporting the filing at the IURC with written and oral testimony, if requested
Tracker Calculations
IMPA Service Corp prepares all aspects of electric rate studies for members, including:
- Gathering data from the various resources
- Establishing the revenue requirements
- Developing the cost-of-service studies which allocate the utility costs appropriately to each rate classification
- Utilizing the cost-of-service study results to prepare the rate design
- Preparing rate comparisons of the proposed rate design to rates of other utilities
- Presenting the results of the study to member staff and Councils
- Assisting with preparing and supporting the filing at the IURC with written and oral testimony, if requested
Development of Special Rates
IMPA Service Corp can help in special cases of rate design required for large utility customers that can account for:
- Power factor penalties
- Time of use rates
- Off-peak operation
- Rates for a separate delivery voltage
Development or Review of Terms and Conditions of Service
- Developing Terms and Conditions for utility customers to include terms of service, customer responsibilities, rate assignment, provisions for energy theft, etc.
- Review of existing utility Terms and Conditions to recommend changes or updates as needed
Asset Evaluation Studies
- Perform a system wide inventory of fixed assets (poles, transformer, conductor, etc.)
- Help determine present net worth of utility assets
Organizational Studies
IMPA Service Corp can help to evaluate the day-to-day operations of a utility and determine areas where improvement can be made to increase productivity or help reduce cost. This service includes:
- Help with the development of job descriptions when searching for new utility personnel
- Engineering or managerial assistance to a utility on an interim basis when the utility is searching for new personnel
Compensation Studies
IMPA Service Corp will review utility personnel compensations and compare to other similar jobs in the area to determine if the compensation is equivalent or in need of an increase.