Pacific Powertech Inc.: Committed to client service excellence
By: Jesse Champagne
Pacific Powertech Inc. (PPI) is an independent electrical power service provider in British Columbia. For 20 years, the company has been committed to 100% customer satisfaction, providing expertise in high voltage electrical equipment acceptance testing & commissioning, specialized testing, repair & maintenance of critical electrical power system assets as well as emergency services. Their experience, resources, longevity and growth in the field have established Pacific Powertech Inc. as a leader in the industry.
“We work in a dynamic and technically challenging field. Our personnel include young, energetic technicians as well as those who have been in the industry for many years” says President of the company, Cameron Hite. “Our years of experience, including recent high profile projects such as the Mount Milligan Mine, Neptune Terminals upgrade and the Telus Data Centre, have contributed to steady growth for the company.” The Telus Super Internet Data Centre was a sophisticated and challenging project that the PPI team undertook and finished one week ahead of the scheduled completion date.
In addition to acceptance testing services for major infrastructure projects, Pacific Powertech Inc. provides regular maintenance services to a large number of commercial and industrial clients, helping them improve the integrity and reliability of their medium & high voltage electrical equipment. PPI also specialize in evaluating potential arc flash hazards to personnel and maintaining safe operating systems & work procedures. Pacific Powertech Inc. also provide maintenance testing services for the local utilities, including BC Hydro.
Cameron believes his organization’s affiliation with NETA (The International Electrical Testing Association) sets his company apart in this field. “NETA is an association of leading independent electrical testing companies dedicated to ensuring the highest level of quality and reliability. The standards for acquiring and maintaining an accreditation within NETA are extremely strict and focus on systems and procedures that ultimately provide the highest quality service to the client. In addition to the rigorous requirements of NETA, we also have a comprehensive in house safety program. We’re seeing much more focus on the safety of everyone involved and our policies and training only help us to ensure that we are performing well above the industry’s average safety record. The safety of our technicians and our clients is of the utmost importance in everything that we do.” says Mr. Hite.
While the company operates primarily in British Columbia, the Energy Sector in Alberta has also generated business opportunities in recent years with calls inviting PPI to lend their expertise to the oil sands projects.
Alberta may be experiencing a booming industry within the oil fields, but British Columbia has its fair share of large industrial works and infrastructure projects on the go and Pacific Powertech Inc. is a recognized and respected name on many of those work sites within the electrical industry.
Throughout the past 20 years, Pacific Powertech Inc. has been involved with several exciting and challenging projects in the mining, infrastructure, commercial, technology and utility sectors.
PPI crews are experienced with difficult and challenging working conditions, including remote destinations and long working hours. On one of their more interesting recent projects they completed work on a Vancouver Island wind farm that required a helicopter to access the remote site for ground resistance testing.
Another prominent recent project is the Mount Milligan Copper Mine near Prince George, BC; midway between Mackenzie & Fort St James. The PPI team was on site for nearly 6 months to provide commissioning assistance. Under rigorous and trying working conditions the crews completed the acceptance testing and pre-commissioning of all the downstream high voltage electrical equipment; 25 kV and 4 kV substations, 4 kV MCC’s, Mill Motors, 600 V switchgear and MCC’s including all the Protection Control Systems; for the major process areas of the mine.
In 2013, Pacific Powertech Inc. was involved in the commissioning of the new substation at Neptune Terminals; a shore to ship bulk loading operation. The Neptune Terminals commissioning project required the crews to work with 60kV, SF6 gas insulated switchgear and required nearly 2 months to complete. PPI crews were also involved in the Capilano/Seymour tunnel project and over the course of a year, commissioned numerous underground mining electrical skids.
Cameron Hite is quick to point out that, while they are always interested and excited to get involved in new projects and challenges, they also work hard to maintain many long term relationships with clients. By offering high quality technical services combined with quick response time, Pacific Powertech Inc. continues to maintain important relationships with clients that they met over 20 years ago. Cameron was proud to let us know that the first client he serviced upon opening his business in British Columbia; Ivanhoe Cambridge; is still a valuable PPI client today. Building on past experience and established relationships has been a key component of PPI’s long term success. Pacific Powertech Inc. also has a strong partnership with Teck Metals in Trail, BC. In 2010, PPI completed a 2 week maintenance shutdown that peaked with 45 testing technicians on site. “In my 28 years of field service, our Teck project in 2010 was the single largest assembly of testing personnel on one project site that I have ever seen or heard of”, says Cameron.
Tasked with guiding his company into the future, Mr. Hite believes that offering a high standard of technical services, combined with steady, consistent growth is the right course to take. “We’ve had a steady growth pattern over the years and we’re going to continue on this path. By the end of 2014 our goal is to have 18 to 20 employees driving Pacific Powertech Inc. into the future. We’re planning new offices, recruiting additional technicians and we’re putting structures into place that will allow us to continue to provide impeccable service to our clients as well as be ready and able to meet any new opportunities that the future may bring.”
Pacific Powertech Inc. invites you to visit their website, www.pacificpowertech.ca for more information on their many services, projects and upcoming events!
