The project was the first comprehensive substation engineering project Burns & McDonnell has completed fully within the U.K. under its NERS (National Electricity Registration Scheme) accreditation.
The project included all phases from civil and electrical studies to preliminary and detailed engineering design. Beyond this scope, the team was engaged in April 2020 to provide additional design support during construction phases.
The project was designed with building information modelling (BIM) engineering software, compliant to BIM Level 3 maturity, incorporating embedded asset data that will enable operational data management throughout the project life cycle. In addition, the U.K. team provided significant added value by including custom-produced 3D videos of the substation as a supplemental visual aid.
Sustainable design features were key elements as well, including an on-site rainwater harvesting solution designed to avoid an expensive water supply line that would otherwise have been needed for the remote and rural project location.
Despite a challenging schedule and other demands, the project proved to be a significant success as one of the first full-service substations placed in service for HS2.
