Reliable

Phil DeSpirito, P.E.
Senior manager, energy management
Roche

One of the world’s leading research-oriented healthcare companies, Roche relies on PSE&G gas and electric service at its Nutley, New Jersey, pharmaceutical campus. At Roche for more than 22 years, as an engineer and recently as Roche senior manager of energy management, Phil DeSpirito has counted on PSE&G for dependable, responsive service.

Here Phil describes how PSEG supports Roche during emergencies, daily operations and over the long-term.

How important is reliable electric and gas service?

Energy is a primary driver on this site. Without electricity and gas, we wouldn’t be able to carry out research or manufacture the products we develop to treat patients. Fortunately, we have a gas-powered cogeneration plan onsite, which provides about 60 percent of the peak summertime electricity used on campus. We also have two substations and feeder lines installed by PSE&G, which bring in redundant 26 kV power to provide our plant with the ability to run continuously in the event that one of the feeder lines fails. If both of these lines fail, while we would be able to provide emergency services, our normal business operations might cease. Therefore, it is very important that we have extremely reliable gas and electric service in this congested area of northern New Jersey.

How did PSE&G work with you through the storm of June 2008 to restore power?

In the 22 years I’ve been at this location, the longest power outage we had was four hours. During the summer of 2008, we had three outages, which was unusual, and the longest lasted 19 hours, which was incredibly unusual. A severe storm – a microburst - came through Nutley, uprooting many old trees and both feeder lines to our campus came down, leaving us in a total blackout.

PSE&G responded quickly and efficiently. Within 30 minutes, they told us that this was a serious outage and that power wouldn’t be restored for at least six to eight hours. Having that information allowed me to isolate our cogeneration station and helped site management decide whether the situation was critical enough to close the facility. Every 30 minutes during the outage, I received updates from the PSE&G foreman, who gave me an accurate timeframe for when the feeders were expected to come back on. In addition, PSE&G had multiple crews on the job and we were very pleased when they restored power within 15 minutes of their original estimate. I received clear and concise information throughout the process so I could give an accurate depiction of the situation to senior management.

How does PSE&G contribute to Roche’s success in the marketplace?

PSE&G provides reliable utilities in a very congested area. They act as a support mechanism and provide technical knowledge that helps us continue cost effective operations. As the needs of our campus have changed over the years, their engineers have helped us develop new energy management strategies. Even though we have shifted away from a manufacturing focus to a corporate site in recent years and our electric load has decreased, PSE&G has continued to provide dedicated service. We still get the same level of service today as when we were a fully fitted campus in the late 80’s. Knowing that we have reliable power to continue to function is a great insurance policy for this campus.

Are you currently working on any projects with PSE&G to increase your reliability?

We place a great deal of emphasis on sustainability at Roche. As such, we are presently focused on upgrading breakers and relays on our campus since some of our equipment is over 40 years old. This gives us an opportunity to install current technology that offers relay protection and new monitoring capabilities. Fortunately, PSE&G’s engineers are available to consult with us on this upgrade process. In addition, PSE&G is offering sustainability and demand response programs, which provide financial incentives to large customers when they reduce power during the summer. It is important to note that PSE&G is going to be a big player in the smart grid, which will help large customers like Roche manage our energy use.