Pictured is Electrical Engineer, Tanya Wildgoose-Thompson, the first female Bahamian Engineer at GBPC. Thompson joined the company in 2007 to work on reliability of the company's power grid and recently headed the automation of the 69-kV loop project. “The goal of the 69-kV Loop Configuration is to further eliminate customer outages whenever there is fault on a 69-kV transmission line within the loop, the purpose of this project is to improve our system reliability," she noted. Thanks to Wildgoose-Thompson and her team, The Grand Bahama Power Company has reduced the number of distribution feeder outages by 15% from the previous year. Photo: Erik Russell

Freeport, Grand Bahama - In an effort to increase stability and reliability, The Grand Bahama Power Company has recently completed the automation of the 69-kV loop project. A team of five including former T&D Director Derick King, Tanya Wildgoose-Thompson, Steve Ashmore, Charles Stubbs and Meyer Kao along with the underground and overhead crews worked diligently to ensure the safe and effective completion of the system loop.

“The goal of the 69-kV Loop Configuration is to further eliminate customer outages whenever there is fault on a 69-kV transmission line within the loop. The purpose of this project is to improve our system reliability,” says Grand Bahama Power Company’s Electrical Engineer, Tanya Wildgoose-Thompson, the first female Bahamian Engineer at the company.

All of Grand Bahama Power Company substations are fed by 69kV transmission lines. Attached to the substations are the distribution feeders, which deliver power to the various communities across Grand Bahama Island. Once there is a fault on a transmission line, all substations fed from that line experience outages, ultimately leading to all feeders and connected subdivisions experiencing a loss of power.

New breakers have been installed at strategic points along the transmission line to ensure that any interruption is isolated to the line experiencing the fault. All other substations connected will then remain energized by way of another transmission line path. Wildgoose–Thompson explained, “this will not only reduce the number of customers affected, but will also cut down on the time taken to find and repair faults.”

Wildgoose-Thompson was the lead Electrical Engineer in the project and joined GBPC in January 2007 to focus on Reliability. She holds a degree in Electrical Engineering and Business Management from Auburn University in Alabama and began her college career at Morgan State University after being recruited by a track and field coach during her high school years at St. Augustine’s College in Nassau.

During a summer program she learned more about the field of Engineering and was able to gain hands-on experience. While focusing solely on her academic career during her last year, she was recommended for an interview with Tennessee Valley Authority, the only federally owned power company, who she worked for for six years.

Wildgoose-Thompson, who always knew she wanted to return to The Bahamas, noted “I was happy to find a company like The Grand Bahama Power Company who was not only looking for persons with my background and experience but wanted to focus on an area that I have a known strength and passion for, Reliability.”

Thanks to Wildgoose-Thompson and her team, The Grand Bahama Power Company reduced the number of distribution feeder outages by 15% from the previous year. With the considerable changes in the system after completion of the Lightning Mitigation Project, the average is expected to further decrease through 2010 with the implementation of the 69-kV loop.

“The recent improvements to the Transmission and Distribution System have begun to positively set Grand Bahama Power Company apart from the other CARILEC Utilities. As we begin to refocus on our Generation Reliability our goal is to be the Reliability leaders in Island Utilities within this region and throughout the Caribbean”, noted Wildgoose-Thompson.