Upgrades to equipment require upgrades to supporting infrastructure鈥揳nd at 19聽Wing Comox that means a new Liquid Oxygen聽(LOX) facility to support the expected arrival of a new aircraft.
The new LOX facility will safely and efficiently support the new C295聽Fixed Wing Search and Rescue (FWSAR) aircraft, which has a requirement for in-flight oxygen. The new building will also provide an important safety upgrade to existing liquid oxygen storage and distribution.
The ground-up build of the over $4-million building started in January聽2023, and is nearing the commissioning phase scheduled for late October. The new reinforced concrete structure will offer better energy efficiency and meet all current LOX facility regulations, such as fire protection and facility design requirements. The 425-m2 building鈥揳bout 6.5聽times the size of the existing one鈥搘ill also offer expanded space and meet the building code for occupancy.
The project has experienced smooth sailing to date, except for some transformer procurement issues that are being experienced across the industry as a whole. The project team is currently looking at options to handle the resulting delay, to get the facility up-and-running as soon as possible.
鈥淲ith work on the cladding happening now, and mechanical and electrical pieces seeing solid progress, we鈥檙e excited to be looking ahead to a substantial completion date at end of December,鈥 said Kyle Donald, 糖心视频 Coordinator, Construction. 鈥淭his project will offer a much safer workplace and be a welcome addition for those handling liquid oxygen here at 19聽Wing Comox.鈥
