Beach Electric Co. recently completed an electrical expansion project for the video hub office (VHO) at the Verizon Data Center in Freehold, NJ.  The center is part of the Verizon’s vast nationwide infrastructure and carries vital 911 and 411 communication along with FIOS tech support and leased customer server systems.

Two new 1,500 kW diesel generators and a 1,500 kW load bank were installed.  The generators presented quite a challenge:  the 45,000 lb. units and their 23,000 lb. enclosures had to be lifted over a twenty-five foot high wall and past all the existing equipment for installation.  A 500 ton crane with 220’ extensions was used to achieve proper placement.

Further upgrades included two new 825 kW uninterruptable power supply units with maintenance bypass and load synchronizing system, two 225 KVA power distribution systems, two 1,000 amp HVAC distribution panels, two 400 amp power panels and two 100 amp utility panels.

The existing 3,000 amp 480V service switchboard needed to be modified in order to accommodate the expansion.  Due to the extremely sensitive and crucial nature of the 911 system, the entire project was required to be completed without interruption to the center’s services.  Outages were scheduled between 12:00 AM and 5:00 AM and a plan was put in place whereby the video hub was run through the emergency generator bypass.  This enabled the system to remain operational throughout.

We thank Brian O’Shea, Keith Ayers and Kevin Horan of Verizon, and Peter Salotti, Mike Siciliano and Cameron Dalton of Tishman Construction for their assistance on the project.