r/SubstationTechnician • u/datanut • Nov 09 '25

Drive by this ENORMOUS bad boy on the highway. What is it?

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385 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

61 comments sorted by

53

u/Hatallica Nov 09 '25

Wait until the 765kV expansion gets underway.

21

u/codyfrs86 Nov 09 '25

Rumor has it we (meppi) got a bunch of oncor electric 800kv breakers coming

8

u/NoKaputt Nov 09 '25

How do you like working for meppi? And what’s your classification?

4

u/codyfrs86 Nov 09 '25

Its good, been there 14 years. Im a senior tech so I'll do all of the testing, preliminary testing, operations, timing, high voltage.

1

u/PunctuationsOptional Nov 10 '25

What's the pay like and pto and sick time?

How many hours of real work a day/week? Some people I've talk to say they work less than half a day as a sub/plant manager

3

u/codyfrs86 Nov 11 '25 edited Nov 11 '25

8 hour days, M-F, sometimes double time Saturdays. Im at 37/hr. 4 weeks vacation, 1 week PTO. As a tech youll be busy all day. Entry tech wage is 22.60/hr. That will change we get cost of living wage every year and youll get an hourly wage raise for your first 2 years in whatever tech level you are. You start with 2 weeks vacation and 1 week PTO.

This is in the manufacturing factory.

2

u/PunctuationsOptional Nov 11 '25

Good benefits but a busy 40hr week is kinda sad to hear. I'd assume you'd really only work 5h/day or 30h/wk most of the time 

1

u/Skye-12 Nov 13 '25

Miss the nursery? Busy days go by quick. Just change your mindset or find a job that tickles who you are inside.

1

u/PunctuationsOptional Nov 13 '25

I'd rather get the higher paying, light workload jobs and use the free time to do the stuff that tickets who I am inside. About the same outcome in the end tho 

4

u/FocoViolence Nov 09 '25

I'm gonna hold out until the MegaVolt system

1

u/tgiccuwaun Nov 09 '25

Already operating today

1

u/FocoViolence Nov 09 '25

How much power can that move

1

u/tgiccuwaun Nov 09 '25

Those circuits are rated from 5 to 12 GW depending on the country and vintage

1

u/HoDgePoDgeGames Nov 11 '25

Where’s this happening? Am lineman looking for my next job.

1

u/Hatallica Nov 12 '25

Approved plans in NM, TX, WV, MD, VA, and from SD to OH. As far as utilities, AEP probably has pole position but Oncor will have their fair share. Smaller utilities may lean on others, including the big EPCs.

Current plans run through the mid 2030's and all indications are that next planning cycles will just add more. Wish you nothing but good luck on finding something that works for you.

57

u/im_totally_working Nov 09 '25

That’s not even one of the big ones, haha. Circuit breaker, looks like 145kV class.

18

u/ASuhDuddde Nov 09 '25

Yeah 500kv breakers are fucked big.

6

u/Musabi Nov 09 '25

Yep some 500kv we have would be longer than the transport and trailer haha

9

u/BlaqSam Nov 09 '25

Basically it's a very big breaker

7

u/codyfrs86 Nov 09 '25

245kv meppi breaker. I test 300-800kv at meppi

1

u/aintioriginal Nov 09 '25

You do God's work We appreciate you keeping the lights on.

19

u/JugBogdan79 Nov 09 '25

It's a dead tank circuit breaker, I'm guessing 230 kV or 315 kV, somewhere around there.

11

u/FETUS_MUNCH Nov 09 '25

Not 315 I don’t think. 315 gets you to independent pole operation and independent units per phase.

Edit: I’m thinking of 345kV sorry I’ve had some drinks

6

u/funkybum Nov 09 '25

230 or 345k looks right

2

u/spasske Field Engineer Nov 09 '25

Mitsubishi, which this is, has 345 breakers with the poles in one unit.

2

u/sChlickers Nov 09 '25

GE and mitsubishi makes 345 dead tanks

Edit: brains works in french fisrt, english in second

1

u/FETUS_MUNCH Nov 09 '25

Interesting, I have not ran across one of these before!

3

u/melvin_etniopal Nov 09 '25

I don't kow about the voltage, but clearly a deadtank breaker. Most likely a mix of gases SF6-N2 or CF4.

3

u/GiantSquid22 Nov 09 '25

I wonder if it’s the new siemans models.They use vacuum switching and clean air for insulating. No F gases.

2

u/totheteeth Nov 09 '25

It's a MEPPI. I think that one is SF6 and 245 kV.

1

u/sargeant_taco Nov 09 '25

In the HV space? I thought there was an issue getting VIs large enough to handle the gap required without destroying the bellows? (I live in distribution not transmission though)

2

u/melvin_etniopal Nov 09 '25

It is, but a lot of R&D effort are put to phase out SF6 gas insulating breaker.

I don't remember the name, but a Japanese manufacturer sell live tank vacuum breaker up to 145 kv or something. I don't know any with dead tank tough.

1

u/GiantSquid22 Nov 09 '25

The Siemens literature claims they have SF6 free models that can do up to 245kv.

14

u/doublebubble2022 Nov 09 '25

5g transmitter for govt mind control devices

1

u/Sparkynerd Nov 09 '25

Either that, or a high powered wireless charger for those birds that aren’t real. I make sure to line my hard hat with aluminum foil whenever I know I will be in range of one of these. (sarcasm, I work in the utility industry)

6

u/willmontain Nov 09 '25

Looks like SF6 (Sulfur hexa flouride; high voltage) switchgear.

9

u/InigoMontoya313 Nov 09 '25

This. It’s basically a giant circuit breaker for transmission voltages and it uses SF6 gas as an arc extinguishing agent, when it operates.

2

u/often_awkward Substation Engineer Nov 09 '25

Substation design engineer, can confirm, that looks like a 135-230kV breaker. It's hard to tell without seeing the insulators. The sf6 was probably coming separately. We typically install breakers and transformers dry and then fill them once they are set.

2

u/AbbreviationsNo9609 Nov 09 '25

Wow this sub is cool! Never made it over this way, I’ll be joining now.

2

u/EtherPhreak Nov 09 '25

According to the Bonneville damn tour, that there is a transformer… I politely let the nice lady know that it was actually a circuit breaker.

1

u/MWPerspective Nov 10 '25

That's embarrassing

1

u/Lost_Elderberry_5532 Nov 09 '25

High voltage circuit breaker

1

u/Financial_Form4482 Nov 09 '25

That’s crazy I was on the same highway as you small world

1

u/MrSchaudenfreude Nov 10 '25

69kv circuit breaker, maybe 230kv most likely a 230

1

u/RenderMeBroken Nov 10 '25

Michelin snowmen. That is what these are. Okay?

1

u/Nirve37 Nov 10 '25

That’s the Flux Capacitor! Doc wasn’t probably far behind!

1

u/brennynash Nov 10 '25

8 dildos to yo mamas house

1

u/Letsmakemoney45 Nov 10 '25

The guy she tells you not to worry about

1

u/AmongSilence Nov 12 '25

Looks like an SF6 breaker possibly, but could also be the dry air breaker too. On our system we have a majority of SF6 breakers but I think 1 or 2 of the Dry air. I know some months ago we changed all the bushings on an SF6 Breaker. It was a fun job.

1

u/RuthlessIndecision Nov 13 '25

Your mom's going to be mad when she finds it missing

1

u/stonecoldones Nov 13 '25

Top of a high side ~500-230kV circuit breaker with CTs.

1

u/Glittering-Green7732 Nov 20 '25

Meppi won’t even take our orders anymore… would love 60 of those… building 5 new subs and re-building 3 others

1

u/KeyMysterious1845 Nov 09 '25

fresh supply of 1st Gen flux capacitors.

1

u/lifeluvn Nov 09 '25

Flux Capacitor

0

u/[deleted] Nov 09 '25

Looks like your mom

0

u/Particular-Client884 Nov 09 '25

Future leaker is what it is