Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast

The Challenge – The existing 650 kVA FG Wilson generator, fitted with a Perkins 3000 series engine, had reached the end of its usable life. The Trust required a replacement with greater standby capacity to support the site’s growing critical load — but the new, significantly larger generator had to be installed on the existing plinth, within the original footprint.

Working within a live, fully operational healthcare environment, the project also demanded careful planning and phasing to maintain standby cover throughout the works. To ensure uninterrupted standby resilience during the installation period, AC Automation supplied and installed a temporary hire generator from its own fleet, keeping the site protected at all times.

Our Solution

Generator Plant

The new generator is a 1,100 kVA Marapco MP1100E, powered by the latest-generation Perkins 5008 engine. It is housed in a purpose-specified container fitted with a roof-mounted air inlet attenuator to manage acoustic and airflow requirements within the constrained site footprint.

The Perkins 5000 series represents the next generation of large-engine technology for standby power generation. Designed specifically for the rigorous demands of mission-critical applications, the platform delivers improved fuel efficiency, lower emissions, and faster load acceptance compared to earlier generations — making it particularly well suited to acute healthcare environments where rapid, reliable response to mains failure is essential. The 5008 also benefits from a more compact footprint and modular service access, supporting both the spatial constraints of this project and long-term maintenance efficiency.

Despite the significant uplift in capacity over the original 650 kVA set, the new generator and its container were engineered to fit the existing plinth — eliminating the need for civil works and minimising disruption to the surrounding hospital infrastructure.

Control System

AC Automation designed and supplied a new ComAp-based synchronising control system to manage the site’s LV switchboard arrangement. The system controls four incomers — two transformer incomers, the new generator ACB, and a dedicated mobile generator connection point ACB — together with the bus coupler tying the switchboard together.

This arrangement provides flexible operating configurations, including resilient dual-mains supply, automatic standby operation, mains-parallel testing, and the ability to bring a mobile hire generator onto site through a pre-engineered connection point without disrupting normal operations.

Site Constraints

The project’s defining challenge was the footprint restriction. Installing a generator nearly 70% larger than the original on the same plinth required careful design coordination of the container, services, and air handling arrangements — all delivered within the operational constraints of a live acute hospital site.

Standby cover was maintained throughout the works by a temporary 550 kVA hire generator supplied from AC Automation’s own fleet, ensuring the Trust’s critical services remained protected at every stage of the installation.

The Outcome – Delivered in 2026, the new installation provides BHSCT with a significant uplift in standby resilience at one of its most critical sites. Key outcomes include:

• Greater standby capacity delivered within the original footprint
• Modern, emissions-compliant engine technology
• Flexible LV switchboard control with dual-mains, generator, and bus coupler management
• Pre-engineered mobile generator connection point for additional standby resilience
• Mains-parallel testing capability without site disruption
• Continuous standby cover throughout the installation via a temporary hire generator
• No impact to the surrounding hospital infrastructure during installation