Credit Union Trusts Caterpillar For Reliable Backup Power
Member-owned, not-for-profit Navy Federal Credit Union serves more than eight million members worldwide, including active duty military personnel, veterans, Department of Defense contractors, and their families. With a mission to serve as a trusted financial partner for its members, Navy Federal provides a full range of financial products and services tailored to military personnel across every time zone. Its goal is to offer 24/7 access to its three contact centers as well as round-the-clock online services. With three main campuses and more than 340 branch offices, Navy Federal has over $97 billion in assets and more than 18,000 employees.
On the northwest side of Pensacola, a 347-acre campus is undergoing a massive expansion. At just under 2.5 million square feet, the Navy Federal campus in Pensacola is backed up by 11 Cat® 3516 diesel generator sets housed in two separate power plants. Together, these plants produce 26 MW of power, which is more than enough to power the entire campus, including the lights for the parking lots.
Two power plants house a total of 11 Cat® 3516 diesel generators to back up Navy Federal Credit Union’s 347-acre campus in Pensacola.
Navy Federal serves more than eight million members worldwide, offering products and resources to lighten the load of active duty military personnel and veterans.
“Navy Federal is big on redundancy, and having two power plants means we can transfer power from one to the next when preventive maintenance is done on the generator sets, or if there is some other issue.”
To ensure a top-notch member experience, new employees at Navy Federal attend an orientation that includes a military experience module to create awareness and empathy for situations faced by its members.
Navy Federal relies on local Cat dealer Thompson Power Systems for a quick response to any issues that arise with the generator sets.
Each Cat power plant can supply enough power to support the entire 2.5 million square foot campus, even the lights for the parking lots.
The utility, Gulf Power, has two main utility feeds routed to two substations at the Pensacola campus. Cat ISO switchgear ensures a seamless power transfer to the backup generators if the power fails. Though the generator sets turn on automatically during infrequent utility outages, staff at Navy Federal can also start the generator sets manually if bad weather is approaching to ensure the campus receives continuous, reliable power.
The generator sets undergo monthly testing by Navy Federal facilities staff. To stay current, Tim McClendon, electrical services supervisor for Navy Federal in Pensacola, sends two people to switchgear training each year at the Cat Switchgear facility in Alpharetta, Georgia. Technicians from local Cat dealer Thompson Power Systems perform quarterly and annual maintenance to keep the system in prime condition, while also responding quickly to any other issues that may arise with the generator sets.
