Description: Bench provided consulting services, partnering with the electrical contractor to deliver this substation replacement as a design-build project to a sawmill client in BC. The new substation improved reliability by replacing aged equipment and improving the configuration. The replacement included improved protection (circuit breaker instead of fuses) and modern protection relays, new revenue metering, and improved substation grounding. Bench collaborated with several subconsultants to provide a complete design package for the project. As downtime minimization was a primary concern, the construction of the new substation was planned to allow cutover and commissioning over the course of a weekend. In the project photos taken just after initial energization, the Owner’s old substation can be seen beside the new substation. 

Services Provided Directly: 

• Electrical and Protection system design.
• Management of the BC Hydro Interconnection process including technical reviews.
• Management of other disciplines.
• Equipment specification, review of vendor documents, and factory equipment inspection.
• Documented field reviews.
• Commissioning plan and commissioning assistance.

Services Provided through subcontracts: 

• Peer review of electrical design.
• Surveying.
• Powerline design.
• Substation ground grid design.
• Structural Engineering

Duration and Completion: The design, equipment procurement and utility reviews occurred over a 10-month period in 2023 / 2024. The commissioning and startup occurred in Nov-2024.