Main Service Entrance

[Eclectic engineer]

During a site walk at a multi-family building, I noticed that the nameplate rating of the Main service entrance cabinet is 1600A at 120/208V.
However, when the deadfront was removed and I zoomed into the underground cable being fed to the main lugs, the conductor rating was
700 MCM AL ANACONDA 0 XLP 600 volts POWER CABLE.

I am assuming it is a 700 kcmil Aluminum conductor. When I looked up the NEC table, 700 kcmil is around 450A depending on temperature rating.

Am I interpreting this correctly?
Also, I am surprised that a 1600A main service cabinet is only being supplied by ~450A of power. Is this commonplace to find in electrical installations?

Thank you.

 

[bwat]

Can you share the picture? And are you sure there was only (1) cable per phase and not (4) in parallel?

 

[zbang]

It that cable was being supplied by the PoCo under their rules, it could be anything.

 

[infinity]

You said the "Main service entrance cabinet" is 1600 amps does it have an OCPD or is there more than one service disconnect? If there is more than one then the 700 kcmil may be sized according to the calculated load.

 

[Eclectic engineer]

Can you share the picture? And are you sure there was only (1) cable per phase and not (4) in parallel?

Yes. 1 cable per phase. See attached image.

 

[Eclectic engineer]

It that cable was being supplied by the PoCo under their rules, it could be anything.

Yes it is supplied by the power company's transformer.

 

[Eclectic engineer]

You said the "Main service entrance cabinet" is 1600 amps does it have an OCPD or is there more than one service disconnect? If there is more than one then the 700 kcmil may be sized according to the calculated load.

The 1600A main service DOES NOT have a service disconnect. Downstream of the 1600A lugs, there are 4 x 400A disconnect switches serving residential and house loads.

 

[zbang]

Yes it is supplied by the power company's transformer.

I mean- who owns the cable? A better question is "where is the service point?" (The 1600a disconnect?) You could have #6 on the PoCo side of a 100 amp service if that's what they put in.

 

[Eclectic engineer]

I mean- who owns the cable? A better question is "where is the service point?" (The 1600a disconnect?) You could have #6 on the PoCo side of a 100 amp service if that's what they put in.

I am not sure where is the disconnect for the 1600A. There are 4 700 kcmil wires coming from underground and supplying power to the main lugs. I am presuming that the wires are coming from the pad-mounted transformer secondary.
The cable is owned by the PoCo.