PG&E’s Gas Operations Technical Training Center in Winters
A natural gas vocational training center, operating indoors M-F (7am-10pm) and weekends (7am-7pm) and outdoor activities 7 days a week (7am-7pm). There will be approximately 210 people on site every day, comprised of 63 employees and 147 students.
Description
Construction of a comprehensive gas training facility for the training of gas field employees on all of the aspects of construction, maintenance and operation of the PG&E gas system. The functions of the components on the site include:
- Parking Lot
- Learning Center - Primary technical training center building, including classrooms; labs; M&C tech enter (e.g. The Indoor Flow Lab wherein compressed air is used to simulate natural gas flow), gas service representative (GSR) area, where gas serveie representatives will be trained in customer service including, meters, leak detection and service inspections; storage; instructor offices; food services; restrooms; lockers and ancillary support uses.
- T&D Building - A partially enclosed building consisting of enclosed classrooms, lab and equipment storage: and an outdoor training field used to train basic utility worker skills and safe operations in confined spaces.
- OQ - The proposed project will also include a vehicle and equipment parking area and OQ trailer parking in the east of the site.
- Crane Certification - A gravel surfaced pad upon which three to five truck-based boom cranes will be located to train students how to operate crane equipment in the field.
- Transmission - An outdoor area consisting of several training areas (all using compressed air to simulate gas operations) including the pipeline inspection area which will be used to train students in the insertion and retrieval of inspection apparatus into pipelines under transmission and/or distribution pressure; the simulated gas storage wellhead area which will include a gas storage wellhead area which will include a gas storage wellhead to train students in the injection and storage of natural gas at underground storage facilities; the cold pits area which will simulate gas pipe and meter vaults, gas pipeline pits, and pipe runs; and the hydrostatic testing area which will train the procedures and skills necessary to utilized pressured water to test pipeline for leaks and strength.
- Cathodic Protection - An open field training area wherein students will be trained in the use of cathodic protection methods.
- Utility Village - A small-scale replica of a residential neighborhood used to train field service representatives on customer interface, leak detection, location and marking of existing pipelines, and emergency response scenario training.
- Equipment Training - An excavation technique training area which will include embankments; structures; pavements (or other hard surfaces); and underground obstacles used to train students in the operation of backhoes, mini-excavators, vacuum excavators, horizontal drill rigs, and other similar equipment. Additionally, this area will be utilized to train students in soil management techniques,