UTILITIES: Nowhere in the electrical universe does the Kelso-Burnett star shine brighter than in the Utility Industry. In 1931 Kelso-Burnett entered the Utility market by converting downtown Chicago office buildings from DC to AC power. That same year KB contracted with Peoples Gas, Light & Coke Co. for a major downtown project. During WWII Kelso-Burnett projects consisted of power plants, switch-houses, electrical substations, transformer vaults for Commonwealth Edison, Public Service Company of Northern Illinois, Illinois Power and Light Corporation, and Locks and dams for Mississippi Power and U.S. Corps of Engineers. This long relationship led to being the prime Electrical Contractor for the Baldwin Illinois Power Plant that consisted of three 600-megawatt fossil fuel steam generating units owned by Illinois Power Company. Kelso-Burnett continued to be a major installer of Commonwealth Edison Vaults throughout the greater Chicago area to the close of the century.
During the last five years Kelso-Burnett has dedicated more of its resources to the Utility Industry than at any time in our history. Starting in 1995 at Waukegan Station 16, Kelso-Burnett began the renovation and upgrading of Commonwealth Edison fossil fuel plants which included Joliet Station 29, Powerton units 5 & 6, Will County, Collins, Crawford, Stateline, and Fisk powerhouses. These projects at times would require up to two hundred electricians working under tight time frames during scheduled power outages. The safe and efficient manner in which these projects were handled is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of the Kelso-Burnett management teams assigned to these projects. Midwest Generation LLC, which acquired the majority of the Commonwealth Edison fossil fuel plants, has continued this relationship by entering into an Emergency Contract with KB for their immediate needs.
Today Kelso-Burnett continues to provide utility services to Commonwealth Edison for their power distribution systems. Kelso-Burnett has entered into a design/build contract to provide a large portion of ComEd's Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA). This project includes installations at transmission substations and distribution centers that will allow the Utility to accurately pinpoint where and when power outages occur. Along with the SCADA project Kelso-Burnett is also involved in the "Auxiliary Power Projects" on a design/build that will allow the incoming electrical power to power plants from outside sources to be more closely monitored and regulated.
For more information on Kelso-Burnett's capabilities in the Utility Industry please contact any of our Division Managers listed under Contact.