Guide to Substation Design Process

A Coordinated Electric System Interconnection Review—the utility’s deep-dive on technical and cost impacts of your project.

Whether retrofitting or building a new substation, you must follow a specific design process to ensure proper integration. You need experts from Keentel Engineering by your side to help you with the substation design process. At Keentel Engineering, our team draws from expertise and experience to offer utilities an efficient and reliable approach to planning, designing and operating an electrical substation. We strive to find the right blend of environmentally conscious, functional, and efficient solutions to meet the current needs of utilities while providing you with the flexibility to accommodate future expansion.Here is a design process that we follow when developing a new substation:

First things first, it is important to choose the switching station. This is selected according to your location and electrical system. It is crucial to understand that a switching station is not like a substation.

It doesn’t have a power transformer and doesn’t transform voltage, but within a switching station, the voltage coming into the station equals the voltage going out. Therefore, it is vital to select the right switching station. This includes the right selection of the ring bus, breaker, and other essential parts of the switching station.

The next crucial step is to prepare a detailed key plan of the substation. This plan should indicate where each component of the station is going to be, as well as how they are going to be connected. The plan should also show the location of items such as the driveway and fence

The next step is planning. At this stage:

Where each component of the station is going to be
How each component are going to be connected
Location of items such as the driveway and fence
Conduct planning meetings for the new substation
Perform power study for load flow
Determine the size of the substation and its configuration
Ensure allocation of funds required for purchasing real estate, planning, engineering and implementation
Find the location for real estate
Schedule milestones for the substation project
Assign resources to the project team

This is the stage where engineers design the layout of the electrical components in the substation while determining where they will go. Plus, engineers also relay the electrical component wiring addressing the remote control aspects of the design. The engineering and construction team works cohesively to ensure the substation design is executed as intended, accurately and compliant with regulations.

At Keentel Engineering, we specialize in the substation design process. Contact us for assistance. We’d be glad to assist you with all your engineering needs.

In 1995, Sandip (Sonny) R. Patel earned his Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Illinois, specializing in Electrical Engineering . But degrees don’t build legacies—action does. For three decades, he’s been shaping the future of engineering, not just as a licensed Professional Engineer across multiple states (Florida, California, New York, West Virginia, and Minnesota), but as a doer. A builder. A leader. Not just an engineer. A Licensed Electrical Contractor in Florida with an Unlimited EC license. Not just an executive. The founder and CEO of KEENTEL LLC—where expertise meets execution. Three decades. Multiple states. Endless impact.