In 1888, the Grand Rapids Edison Light and Fuel Co. was founded in partnership between Thomas Edison and the City of Grand Rapids. Over the years the steam plant has transformed into the electricity engine that it is today, recently undergoing a management and name change to the Vicinity Steam Plant. The Vicinity Steam Plant is integral in keeping and sustaining city functions through providing steam to many downtown buildings. Their customers include Saint Mary’s Hospital, the Public Museum, Plaza Towers, City Hall, Amway Grand, Devos Convention Center, and more.

Our team has served the steam plant for years, providing electrical and automation plant support. Some of our projects included updating Boiler 2 and Boiler 3’s control systems and replacing a turbine for a more efficient electrical motor. Futhermore, we've added power meters to SCADA, installed a new generator that allows the plant to generate their own electricity, and integrated an actuator on Boiler 4. Our electrical team has also completed a plant lighting retrofit by replacing all of existing lights with LED lighting and installing external LED signage. They have also installed radio frequency antennas at customer sites so that the plant can electronically receive customer steam usage without having to visit every site to manually collect the data.

Recently, our team has started on a new project aimed at upgrading the plant’s reverse osmosis filter system so that it can better integrate into their SCADA system. They also have provided a controls upgrade for the skid, allowing it to run with less direct supervision and manual adjustments. This frees up equipment operators, giving them more time to take care of other responsibilities.