Salang Tunnel Substation Review of Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS)

EDH-I-00-08-00027-00, Task Order 01, conducted a review of Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) for the Salang Tunnel Substation. The primary objective of the review was to expedite construction of the substation to have an operable substation by the end of the 2015 construction season. The review considered the use of GIS due to its smaller footprint and reduced civil works construction. Tetra Tech provided information to Phoenix on August 21, 2014, to obtain budgetary pricing and delivery lead time. The construction of the substation using Air Insulated Switchgear (AIS) as designed was ready to advertise for bidding. Power transformers would be the same for either GIS or AIS design, and prepurchase could be awarded. The decision to use GIS was met with concerns from vendors regarding working in Afghanistan and the need for on-site vendor involvement for final start-up and commissioning. Delivery times from vendors ranged from 3 months to 10 months, with some vendors expressing reluctance to work in Afghanistan. The development of a Scope of Work or redesign, Performance Specifications, and Sole Source Proposal was estimated to take 48 weeks, while acceptance testing, shipping, customs clearance, installation, start-up, and commissioning was estimated to take 34 weeks. The review concluded that revising the design to incorporate GIS would not accomplish the objective of having an operable substation by late 2015. Therefore, the decision was made to proceed with the current design that is ready for final review and advertise for bidding. The use of GIS was deemed not feasible due to the lengthy procurement process and potential cost concerns. The Salang Tunnel Substation project aimed to improve power transmission and connectivity in Afghanistan. The project involved the construction of a substation to support the transmission of electricity from the Salang Tunnel to the national grid. The use of GIS was considered as an alternative to AIS, but the review concluded that the current design using AIS was the most feasible option. The project's timeline and budget were critical factors in the decision-making process, with the goal of completing the substation by the end of 2015.