Multiple services 225.30

[ron]

Single story 20k sq ft building with a 600A 480V service. This building is being developed to eventually need more utility power, 4MVA vs the existing 0.5MVA.
The owner wants to get up and running as quickly as possible and begin using the 600A service. When it comes time to expand, requiring more utility service, will it be okay to ask for additional service feeders, rather than increase the size of the existing. We do not want to have to shut down power with active equipment within the building, in order to replace the service.
My gut feeling is that we would be limited to the single service until we got above 2000A.
What are your thoughts.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

My gut feeling is that we would be limited to the single service until we got above 2000A.
What are your thoughts.

That would be my guess also. 230.2(B)(2) may get interpreted with less but who knows what sufficiently large means.

 

[hurk27]

we had an old production plant that needed around 5MVA upgrade, we had to install a substation off the 69kv grid with primary metering to feed the building. all the feeders/switch gear was installed during production hours in trays, then during a preset shutdown time of 3 days, we re-fed all the original panels and switch gear from them.

The cost to do this was enormous, and it looks like cost is why your building owner is starting out with just 600 amp service. but a good plan for the future will come in handy if done right when the upgrade is needed, also a good coordination with the utility will come in handy as they need to plan for this as well.

If these upgrades steps are going to be a little at a time it would seem more cost effective to go ahead and install a 1200 amp service to give more run time on the service before the jump to over 2k in needed?

Edited to add: if there are fire walls to sepreate sections of this building then seperate service could be just added at a later date at a much lower cost?