230kV Substation for a Steam Generation Power Plant

Unusual complexities in project management didn’t stop us from keeping this project moving full steam ahead.

The customer wanted to kick the substation’s power up to 230kV in this big project, and they retained DIS-TRAN for a typical packaged substation with a very atypical change: they handled the supply of some major equipment themselves.

Since we usually handle this aspect of projects, DIS-TRAN and Project Manager Tim Powell had to engage in more complicated coordination efforts than normal with multiple organizations and third parties. “It required a lot of interaction between the involved parties,” says Powell, but he said DIS-TRAN’s normal adaptiveness was easily up to the challenge. “Some adjustment was needed, but nothing that we’re not used to.”

Additionally, separate parts of the facility were controlled by different entities: the switchyard was governed by the project owner (and had to adhere to their very strict drawing and engineering standards) while the transmission line belonged to the engineering company, whose design mandates were more flexible.