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Substation Design & Engineering

Reliable Solutions for Future Demand

Future-Proofing Designs to Meet your Standards and Requirements

Substation and switchyard engineering is, and always has been, a core function of the work that NEI does. With a long history of designing brownfield and greenfield substations for large and small utility, government, industrial, and renewable energy clients, we understand the challenges of developing and constructing medium to ultra-high voltage installations with a multi-disciplinary and innovative mindset. NEI’s team of experts has successfully designed substations to meet a wide range of challenges including extreme weather, property constraints, and difficult topography. From general arrangements, to dynamic VAR compensation design, to integrating energy storage solutions, NEI has the knowledge and experience to design substations, switchyards, and interconnecting stations from 12.5kV to 500kV+.

By collaborating with clients, vendors, and stakeholders NEI solves design challenges through creative and strategic foresight while keeping safety, quality, constructability, reliability, and operability at the forefront of our designs. Whether it’s conceptual design and feasibility or detailed design and procurement support, we supply inventive or tried and true solutions, dependent upon the individual project, to meet our valued client’s future energy needs within budget and schedule constraints.

Our knowledge doesn’t stop at the design level. With NEI’s extensive experience, our professional team can provide other services such as construction oversite, on-site testing and commissioning, troubleshooting, energization support, and forensics. Substations commissioned by NEI exceed industry standards for ensured long-term reliability.

Quality

Reliable

Constructability

Substation Retrofit

At NEI, we use our deep-seeded knowledge to integrate solutions into existing brownfield installations. We can provide solutions to even the most complex retrofit project that has limited or no existing drawings and data on legacy end-of-life major equipment. Equipment replacement, protection upgrades, station re-power, and code and standard evaluations barely scratch the surface of our expertise. Whether the challenge is working with outdated or non-existent drawings, reduced outages, property limitations, clearance issues, project phasing, or schedule constraints, NEI has the skills necessary to meet or exceed our clients’ needs.

Additional Services

  • Site Work, Grading, Drainage, and Access Roads
  • Foundation and Structural Design
  • Grounding Design
  • Lightning Protection
  • Illumination Design
  • Protective Relaying
  • Relay Settings
  • Automation Systems
  • Geotechnical Evaluations
  • Spill Prevention
  • Countermeasure (SPCC) Plans
  • Facility Studies
  • Project Scoping
  • Arc Flash Mitigation
  • Equipment Specifications
  • Physical Design
  • Smart Drawings
  • Troubleshooting and Forensics
  • Procurement Support
  • Construction Support
  • Testing and Commissioning
  • Project Risk Evaluation

Featured Tech Paper

Substation Bus Design: Current Methods Compared with Field Results

Current standards define accepted methods of substation bus design. These standards also require certain strength and deflection criteria. This paper will examine commonly proscribed rigid bus design methodologies and compare them with actual field experience in the design of a 500kV switching station.

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