Periodical power outages are to be expected around Nicholls this semester due to a campus-wide electrical upgrade. Because of the upgrade, cables are being pulled out of the ground and replaced with new ones. In order for the project to be completed, electrical servers will be disconnected at given times at given locations, Michael Davis, assistant vice president for business affairs for procurement and physical plant operations, said.

“As we get closer to (the problem), we know about approximately when the outages will happen and where,” Davis said.

Messages will be sent from the physical plant operations office by e-mail to all areas of the campus informing when and where the outages will occur. Weekends and late evenings will be the targeted times to keep the effects minimal on students and faculty, Davis said.

“It’s kind of a logistical nightmare trying to schedule all of those things, because we try not to interfere with anyone. This campus is so busy, however, that it is almost impossible to avoid inconveniencing someone,” Davis said.

The electric upgrade is a project designed to replace the 25-year-old electric service and add a new, more reliable electric service on campus.

“The electrical cables have exceeded their useful life. Before the project, we were exposed to having a possible failure in different circuits that would have knocked out different aspects of the campus,” Davis said.

Besides replacing the electrical wires around campus, physical plant operations are also expanding several electrical circuits.

“It’s been a constant area of concern. As we’ve continued to add computer labs and other types of classrooms that demand more electricity, we have begun to exceed the electrical limits. Part of the contract is assuring the expansion and reliability of our electrical service. We are planning for growth as we add new computer labs and classrooms. It’s not going to reduce electrical usage,” Davis said.

Nicholls’ administration is planning for additional buildings in the future, Davis said. The prospects of new buildings are also being taken into consideration during the upgrade.

All Rite Electric Company, the contractor of the project, is installing new electric duct banks and new wiring around campus. They are also installing new switchgears, which are green boxes placed around campus designed to protect cables from water.

During the first phase of the upgrade last semester, the physical plant operations constructed a new electrical substation. The new substation, which are built on higher grounds, provides a climate-controlled atmosphere for the transformers and electrical feed lines.

“We had to construct a new substation because we had external transformers and the slab it was on began to sink. We ran the risk of suffering catastrophic failure, which could have knocked electric power out on the campus for quite some time,” Davis said.

Davis said the electrical feed-lines, which were plagued with high amounts of water, from the old substation near Babington Hall were moved to an underground manhole near the cafeteria.

The project, which costs $1.39 million, began last September and is scheduled for completion this upcoming September.

“We’ve run into some little problems here and there, so it has delayed the project just a bit. But, it should be finished sometime around (September),” Davis said.

“If we want to grow and improve, sometimes it is going to interrupt our normal, daily routines. It’s all for the benefit of the students, faculty and this campus. Now and in the future, we have to continue making progress to improve Nicholls,” Davis said.