Project Overview
LH Block Electric installed a new 3,000-amp, 277/480-volt electrical service for Eco Plastics at its Rockford, Illinois, facility.
The project brought together underground utility infrastructure, a precast transformer pad, service conductors, and a new main electrical switchboard. Additional equipment provided 120/208-volt power for lower-voltage electrical needs within the building.
Completed in fall 2021, the installation demonstrates LH Block’s experience delivering electrical service and power distribution improvements for industrial facilities in Northern Illinois.
Underground Infrastructure & Transformer Pad Installation
A substantial portion of the project took place below ground, establishing the pathways needed to bring utility power to the building.
LH Block installed approximately 250 feet of underground conduit from the property line to the new transformer location. The work included trenching through the rear yard and saw cutting existing concrete where the conduit route crossed paved areas.
Our team prepared the aggregate base and installed a precast concrete transformer pad built to ComEd’s specifications. Underground conduits were positioned to enter the appropriate openings in the pad, providing separate pathways for the utility’s primary cables and the secondary service conductors feeding the building.
ComEd’s portion of the work included the directional bore beneath Hiawatha Drive and installation of the utility primary cables. LH Block connected to that pathway at the property line and completed the conduit infrastructure on the facility side.
A New 3,000-Amp Main Electrical Switchboard
Inside the building, LH Block installed a three-section Eaton switchboard rated for 3,000 amps at 277/480 volts, three phase.
The equipment combined the utility cable connection section, current-transformer metering and main breaker section, and a distribution section containing feeder breakers for downstream electrical loads.
Eight underground conduits connected the transformer pad to the switchboard. These pathways transitioned to rigid steel elbows where they entered the building and rose into the equipment. Parallel sets of service conductors were installed and connected at the switchboard, with ComEd responsible for the final connections inside its transformer.
The installation also included an exterior remote meter socket and the associated metering wiring, allowing the utility meter to be accessed from outside the building.
Supporting Multiple Voltage Requirements
Industrial facilities often require more than one voltage to serve their electrical systems.
Alongside the main 480-volt distribution equipment, LH Block installed a 45-kVA transformer to provide 120/208-volt power. This transformer supplied a new 125-amp, 42-circuit panelboard for lower-voltage branch circuits.
The arrangement provided a central distribution point for both higher-voltage loads and the building’s smaller electrical circuits.
Grounding, Bonding & Installation Details
The service installation included grounding and bonding connections to the building’s steel, water service, and exterior ground rods.
Our team also completed the conduit bonding and conductor terminations associated with the new equipment. These details formed part of the complete installation, alongside the larger switchboard, transformer, and underground work.
The project required coordination across several stages—from excavation and pad placement to equipment installation, conductor pulling, and utility connections.
Project Results
The completed installation provided Eco Plastics with a new 3,000-amp electrical service and distribution equipment serving both 277/480-volt and 120/208-volt electrical requirements.
By completing the underground pathways, transformer pad, switchboard installation, metering provisions, and supporting distribution equipment, LH Block delivered the electrical infrastructure needed to bring the new service into the facility.
The project reflects our experience managing substantial commercial and industrial electrical installations in existing buildings.
Industrial Electrical Services in Rockford & Northern Illinois
LH Block Electric provides electrical service upgrades, power distribution improvements, equipment power connections, and facility electrical installations throughout Chicagoland and Northern Illinois.