By Robert J. Bannar

The shockwave of deregulation that visited the utilities industry in recent years promised new lines of profit to utility suppliers, along with increased services and lower costs to consumers.
    Left holding the plug to that connection, however, are the people whose job it is to bring those products and services to delivery. Today, they are faced with a whole new array of challenges in an industry that was already governed by change.
    In addition to the ongoing maintenance and upkeep of existing generation and delivery systems, they have to design and deliver utility services to new communities and businesses while keeping pace with the evolving needs of existing customers and communities.
    For power providers, such change has placed increasing emphasis on  the management of manpower and materials. (Most major utility companies commonly maintain an ongoing database of several hundred projects annually. )

Just ask Robert (“Bob”) Slebodnik, PE. As project coordinator in Allegheny Power’s Engineering & Construction Projects Group (E&C), Greensburg, Pa., it is his job to oversee the system that manages all of E&C’s scheduled construction projects for both new and existing sites.
    “Traditionally, we address the continued maintenance and expansion of the power grid’s lines and substations,” he says. “Typical projects call for adding a transformer or a line terminal to a substation, or maintenance projects, such as replacing a transformer. A major project could entail installing a new high-voltage transmission line over a few miles, or perhaps, building a new substation.”

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