Project Spotlight: Upgrading Emergency Power Infrastructure for Cone Health

When dealing with healthcare and administrative facilities, reliable backup power isn’t just an operational benefit—it is essential to operational continuity. R.D. Graham Electric recently completed an extensive emergency power system replacement for Cone Health, upgrading facility capacity to ensure uninterrupted operations during utility outages.

Project Overview

• Client: Cone Health

• Engineer: Brite Engineering and RDG Design Team

• Project Manager: John B.

• Facility Type: Commercial Healthcare Office

• Scope: Emergency power upgrade and service entrance modifications

The Scope of Work

The existing emergency backup setup—consisting of an older standby generator and a 200A Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS)—was retired and replaced with high-capacity equipment capable of supporting emergency backup power across the entire facility:

• 800 kVA Standby Generator

• 2000A Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS)

• 1200A Quick-Connect Generator Docking Station

The new 2000A ATS was integrated to intercept primary utility power directly downstream of the existing Duke Energy transformer, establishing seamless emergency transfer capabilities for the entire site.

Navigating Underground Obstacles & A 3-Day Cutover

1. Concrete-Encased Conduit Routing: All existing service conduits were encased in concrete duct banks. Our field team carefully chipped, exposed, and rerouted these runs to terminate cleanly into the new ATS enclosure without compromising the surrounding infrastructure.

2. Feeder Repull & Grounding Upgrades: The primary 2000A feeders between the existing Main Distribution Panel (MDP) and the new transfer switch location had to be completely pulled back to allow conduit rework. During the repull, our crew introduced dedicated equipment ground conductors into each conduit run, bringing the distribution feeders up to current engineering and safety standards.

3. Zero-Downtime Weekend Outage: Because the facility operates during standard business hours, taking extended utility outages was off the table. Our project management team structured the utility disconnect, demolition, concrete work, cable repulls, terminations, and commissioning into a continuous 3-day weekend window. Power was restored and fully verified before staff returned on Monday morning.

Dependable Power, Delivered

Thanks to detailed planning and coordinated efforts between Brite Engineering, the utility provider, and Cone Health leadership, the facility now operates on an emergency electrical network engineered for decades of resilience.