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© 2003 by CRC Press LLC
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How a
Substation Happens
1.1
Background.........................................................................
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1.2
Needs Determination.........................................................
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1.3
Budgeting ............................................................................
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1.4
Financing ............................................................................
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1.5
Traditional and Innovative Substation Design ................
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1.6
Site Acquisition...................................................................
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1.7
Design, Construction, and Commissioning Process .......
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Station Design • Station Construction • Station
Commissioning
References ......................................................................................
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1.1 Background
The construction of new substations and the expansion of existing facilities are commonplace projects
in electric utilities. However, due to the complexity, very few utility employees are familiar with the
complete process that allows these projects to be successfully completed. This chapter will attempt to
highlight the major issues associated with these capital-intensive construction projects, and provide a
basic understanding of the types of issues that must be addressed during this process.
There are four major types of electric substations. The first type is the switchyard at a generating station.
These facilities connect the generators to the utility grid and also provide off-site power to the plant. Generator
switchyards tend to be large installations that are typically engineered and constructed by the power plant
designers and are subject to planning, finance, and construction efforts different from those of routine
substation projects. Because of their special nature, the creation of power plant switchyards will not be
discussed here, but the expansion and modification of these facilities generally fo