Kailua Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant Electrical Improvements

About this Project

The Kailua Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant Electrical Improvements project is a key component of the Kailua Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant’s long-term master plan. It advances the City and County of Honolulu’s goal of modernizing operations to handle increased wastewater flows and comply with environmental regulations. By upgrading the plant’s electrical systems, the project enhances efficiency and reliability, minimizing the risk of failures and service disruptions. It also strengthens resilience against natural disasters and emergencies while supporting future expansions and upgrades to other systems. These improvements are essential to ensuring the plant’s long-term viability and its ability to protect water quality and public health throughout the east side of Oahu.

The Kailua Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant Electrical Improvements project included both electrical and control upgrades across 13 buildings in an active facility. The scope included the integration of a new 15kV medium-voltage paralleling switchgear located at the Plant’s Service Entrance, which distributed power to five pairs of medium-voltage substation transformers. This infrastructure provides stable and redundant 480V power to critical processing areas. New low-voltage switchgears with automatic power control sequences were installed at the Effluent Pump Station and the old Kailua Influent Pump Station. Motor control centers were installed downstream of the low-voltage switchgear to provide automated power monitoring and controls to the remaining facilities throughout the plant. These improvements facilitated the removal of the two separate unstable HECO Utility feeds and backup generators, allowing the redundant Utility feed, backed up by the Plants Service Entrance 3-4MW generators, to serve as the central backup power source in case of utility interruptions.

In addition to the electrical improvements, new automated instrumentation and control systems were installed in the critical processing areas and integrated into the plant’s existing Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system to improve operational management and monitoring. Architectural, structural, access controls, and HVAC enhancements were implemented to support the buildout of electrical rooms, ensuring they meet operational requirements and provide a safe, functional environment for new electrical equipment.