Airfield Installations

Project under construction

The new North Runway project in Dublin Airport is the most substantial airfield project in Ireland for a long time, and upon completion it will become a vital piece of national infrastructure, significantly increasing the capacity of Dublin Airport. Mainline are the Lead Electrical Contractor on this large-scale aviation project, and our scope includes the supply and installation of the following:

• Over 340km of primary cable in ducts adjacent to the runway
• Over 135km of secondary cable (feeding each light)
• Termination of primary and secondary cables
• Over 2,500 transformers in manholes
• Over 28km of fibre optic cable
• Over 27km of MV cable
• Over 11km of 50 pair copper telecoms cable
• Over 5km of earth cable
• Over 100 runway/taxiway signs
• Over 1,800 shallow bases for airfield ground lights
• Over 2,200 aviation lights including:
  • Runway lights
  • Taxiway lights
  • PAPI lights
  • Approach lights
• Complete fitout of 2 substations including:
• Mechanical & electrical fitout
• HV switchgear
• Circuit breakers
• HV transformers
• Constant Current Regulators (CCRs)
• Back-up generators
• Distribution boards
• Fire suppression systems
• Building management systems
• UPS’s
• Lighting protection systems
• Security systems

Project Completed: 19th of October 2018

The scope of this project included the supply and installation of a new MV cable to replace a 30 year old MV ring around the Airfield in Dublin Airport between Substation “A” and the West Substation.

The project was broken up into the following three segments. Each leg was to be upgraded on a phased bases in order to minimise disruption to the network. The three segments were as follows:

• Segment 1- Upgrade MV Cable between Substation A to Substation E
• Segment 2- Upgrade MV Cable between Substation E to the Maintenance Base Substation
• Segment 3- Upgrade MV Cables between Maintenance Base Substation to Substation W

Mainline Power completed the following as a part of the project:

Civils Works

• Provision of Traffic Management during the works.
• Provision of circa 3.5km trench to facilitate the MV cable installation which were direct buried in grass areas including cable protection and markers, backfilling of trench, landscaping etc.
• Provision of pit/ducts for entry into each substation including repairing the pavement after the installation.
• Provision of a duct for road crossings and drainage ditches to facilitate the new MV cable including repairing of the road pavement.
• At all-times one segment of the MV network was required to be maintained and operational.

Electrical Works

• Supply and installation of circa 10,000m new MV cables, 3 number singles plus earth in trench, existing/new ducts.
• Disconnection of existing MV cables from the Ring Main Unit and removal from the ducts. The decommissioned cables were excavated to at least 20m from the entrance point to the Substations and removed to avoid any future confusion.
• Terminations of new MV cable to Ring Main Unit (6 Sets of 3 Terminations).
• Test and commission MV cables including a:
• Soak test.
• Partial discharge test.
• Tan Delta measurement.
• Update drawings with the GPS coordinate locations of the new MV cable.

At all-times one portion of the MV was required to be maintained and operational.

Project Completed: 24th of July 2018

Runway Guard Light systems were required in Cork Airport to improved awareness of an active runway
and to mitigate unauthorised entry to the Runway.

This project includes all electrical and civil works for the installation of additional Runway Guard Light
systems for Nine Taxiway/Runway and Runway/Runway intersections as detailed below:

Mainline Power completed the following as a part of the project:

Civils Works

Electrical Works

The 28th of March was a major date for the D.A.A. as this was the date the re-designation took place of all the taxiways airside at Dublin Airport.

This project involved the installation of new taxiway signage to be ready for the implementation of the re-designation of the airfield in the locations.

Project Completed: 28th of March 2019
Mainline Power completed the following as a part of the project:

• Provided new cores on the existing/new concrete bases.
• Made safe, disconnected and salvaged existing signs including associated secondary cable (plug and socket) fly-leads. Signs were strip-out and returned to the DAA for refurbishment. The leads were held for reuse.
• Made up and installed new secondary cables (and earth cable) via existing ducts and connected them to the existing isolating transformer. Reused the leads previously stripped out.
• Made 20mm hole on the leg to allow the leg to be used as a raceway for the secondary, Arctic Blue cable thus providing mechanical protection form rodent damage.
• Cables were repositioned to suit the existing infrastructure.
• Installed new illuminated signs on existing foundations.
• Supplied and installed M12 fixing bolts for securing legs of the signs to the plinths.
• Supplied and installed earth rods and earth rail etc. in manholes.
• Supplied and installed transformer brackets to support transformers on the walls of the manholes.
• Supplied and installed labelling on the signage circuit fittings, cables (secondary cables) and transformers manholes in accordance with the drawings.
• Carried out Insulation resistance tests on all MV (FLYCYs) primary circuits at Substations prior to working on these circuits, measured and recorded results for comparison with identical tests carried out after works to confirm that no attenuation of the resistance of the circuit insulation occurred during the works.

Project by Numbers:

• 146 Signs Installed
• 389 Signage Legs Supports Installed
• 146 New Transformers Installed
• 584 Secondary Joints Completed

Project completed: 27/8/19

Mainline Power completed the following as a part of the project:

• The project is for the structural overlay/rehabilitation of the Runway 16/34.
• The project includes AGL (Aerodrome Ground Lighting) infrastructure to future proof for reducing the runway width to 45m and for taxiing in low visibility conditions and addressing minor non- compliances on Taxiway E1
• As part of this contract existing AGL systems are required to be temporarily decommissioned with the areas of the structural overlay/rehabilitation works and reinstated as required including but not limited to taxiway centreline, taxiway edge, stopbars, runway end, Threshold, Approach, Supplementary Approach, Stopway fittings, Touch Down Zone fittings.
• Mainline Surveyed and identified existing and new primary circuit routes to ensure ducts were usable.
• Protection provided to the existing secondary cabling of the disconnected fittings
• Made safe, disconnected and salvaged existing fittings.
• Secondary leads were placed into the AGL inner core and protected. Fittings were retained for future re-installation.
• Disconnected and stripped-out/salvaged the follow fittings:
  • Elevated Threshold/Rwy End
  • Inset Threshold/Rwy End
  • Runway Identification Lighting System (RTILS)
  • Touch down zone fittings (TDZ)
  • Runway Centerline
  • Stopbar
  • Taxiway Centerline
  • Taxiway Edge
  • Approach fittings
  • Supplementary approach
• Installed new 12” shallow bases including supply of mortar and grout.
• Installed new 8” shallow bases including supply of mortar and grout.
• Installed 12” blanking plates on shallow bases.
• Installed 8” blanking plates on shallow bases.
• Installed temporary elevated Threshold/RWY end fittings including surface mounted baseplate.
• Installed elevated Threshold/RWY end fittings in final position following completion of works in area.
• Supplied, made up with flying secondary leads and installation of new secondary cables (and earth cable) via existing/new ducts or saw-cuts from new shallow base to the edge of the runway in temp pits or existing manhole and connected to isolating transformer.
• Labeled all secondary cables, isolating transformers and manholes as directed on site.
• Reconfiguration of Taxiway E1 centreline lighting primary and secondary cables and transformers including installation of new bi-directional taxiway centreline fittings
• Recalibrate the existing CCR’s associated with Taxiway “E1”
• Test and commission reinstated AGL systems in conjunction with a DAA representative

Project in completion

Mainline Power completed the following as a part of the project:

• Installation of AGL and associated equipment: transformers, secondary cabling in manholes
• Modification/jointing/extension to existing AGL
• Installation of new sections of circuitry
• Supply and installation of all LV cabling for the street lighting columns.
• Supply and installation of an earthing system

• Dublin Airport – South Apron Extension Enabling Works
• Dublin Airport – Runway 16/34 Rehabilitation Works (Phase 1)
• Dublin Airport – Rehabilitation & Enhancement to Runway 10/28 & Associated Taxiways (Ph2 Pull Backs)
• Dublin Airport – Rehabilitation of Runway 10/28 & Associated Taxiways (Ph3 Weekend & Night Change Works)
• Dublin Airport – Approach Lighting Maintenance Work: Airfield Guard Lighting
• Shannon Airport – Electrical Works for the provision of a Met AMAP (Met-mast)
• Cork Airport – Civil & Electrical Works for the provision of a Met AMAP (Met-mast)
• Dublin Airport – Runway 16/34 Rehabilitation Project (Phase 2)