In collaboration with Roseburg Forest Products, Olsson Industrial Electric provided engineering, design, construction, and equipment for Roseburg’s brand new Chester Engineered Wood Greenfield Facility. This $300-million endeavor culminated in an advanced, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility based in Chester, SC, and features the highest capacity press in the world. Olsson’s Construction, Controls, and Engineering Divisions were responsible for implementing and overseeing the project, which commenced in 2017.

The scope of the project included comprehensive electrical design, provided by OS Engineering, which consisted of all power distribution from the 12.47kV utility feeds down to 120V control power and convenience receptacles. The team was also responsible for arc-flash and system power modeling, relay protection design and programming, and a high resistance grounding system.

Design and construction consisted of a full electrical design-build, including power distribution, controls, lighting, and IT communications–the latter of which included a company-wide backup server. Throughout this process, Olsson worked with multiple system vendors to ensure proper tie-ins for all systems, in addition to providing comprehensive startup and system support. Some of the installed equipment includes 15kV MV Swgr, several pad mount transformers in varying VAs, (8) 480V switchboards, multiple 480V and 120/240V panelboards, and over twenty-five 48V motor control centers. The facility is equipped with (2) 150kW backup generators with automatic transfer switches, and is powered by over 31 miles of underground PVC conduit, 2,000 feet of cable tray, and multiple programmable logic controllers and HMI units.

Throughout the three years and 100,000+ working hours that this project has been underway, Olsson and Roseburg have reported zero safety incidents in the electrical construction of this facility. Olsson completed the project in 2020, proudly clocking in under budget and on time.