Utility

Double Wood Mitigation Program

Double Wood Program Managment

Overview

• Location: Nationally
• Client: Multiple 
• Timeline: Annual Program

Scope

• Manage all facets of the client’s double wood program for their electric service territory in support of infrastructure improvement and joint-use projects.
• Scouting
  • Orbital team documents all double wood locations in a specified geography by identifying unknown/undocumented locations and field verifying known locations.
• Field Data Collection
  • Orbital team collects all relevant data for pole including location coordinates, pole number, configuration, attachment types and owners, constructability notes, pre-construction photos, etc.
  • Orbital conducts on-site evaluation of the need for power make-ready using handheld laser range finders to verify that making transfers will not result in NESC Violation.
• Double Wood Mitigation
  
  • Orbital team communicates transfer requests to third party attachment owners through utility’s preferred notification system (NJUNS, SPANS, etc.) and enforces contracts up to and including support of billing third party attachment owners for late transfers.
  • Orbital utilizes qualified subcontracted partner to mitigate double wood locations by transferring any remaining attachments, removing the double pole, and completing restoration (backfill, seed, concrete, etc.)
• Orbital utilizes its proprietary GIS web-based Double Wood Dashboard to manage data related to client’s double wood program.
  • Utility stakeholders are provided access to the dashboard which enables near real-time monitoring of workflow progression for individual poles with photos provided at each construction step.
  • All double wood locations are color coded in map view based on current workflow step to support prioritization/resource planning efforts. 
  • Filters, charts, and tables are available in the tool to allow for various levels of progress reporting.

View More Projects

Utilities and Internet Service Providers

Joint Use Make Ready Engineering

Scope of Work

• Regularly completes projects comprising of 5,000+ poles for new communication company attachments on electric utility owned poles
  • Including Route design, distribution design, and distribution construction
• Currently, completing a 24,000 pole (new fiber attachment) project including:
  • Field data collection
  • Make ready design
  • Incumbent local exchange carrier application submission
  • One touch make ready administration
  • Asset management work application updates
  • Construction package creation

Program Highlights

• Acquired 60 complex easements, including railroad and river crossings, for a communication company build out across Pennsylvania. Additionally, spearheading a one touch make ready program for both internet service provider’s and investor-owned utilities. Increasing upfront route decisions for the internet service provider and significantly reducing application processing time for the investor-owned utility.

View More Projects

Inlet/Outlet Valve Evaluation

Natural Gas

Scope of Work

• Performed GIS and records-based analysis of 1,617 gas regulating stations
• Evaluated compliance with inlet/outlet critical valve design standards
• Validated valve data from GIS and Maximo using spatial analysis and attribution logic
• Assigned station risk ratings based on valve presence, type, and quantity
• Developed formal reclassification, design, and investigation workflows for 1,100+ non-compliant stations
• Recommended future valve placement or conversion to critical designation using industry standards

Deliverables

• Executive summary and class 5 capital planning estimate
• G.A.C.-coded dataset with risk priority assignments 
• Planning template outlining time estimates by station priority level
• Engineering design trigger list for non-compliant or undocumented stations
• Reclassification workflow diagram and phase 3 execution guidance
• GIS shapefiles for pipelines, stations, valves, and analysis overlays
• Maximo/GIS data cleanup recommendations and asset tracking integration

Project Highlights

• The team analyzed 1,617 stations across the service territory, finding that approximately 32% were compliant, 44% required formal design, and 24% were convertible through reclassification. They introduced a desktop validation and G.A.C. priority framework to streamline program actions, supported program execution with valve planning templates and phase 3 task sequencing, and applied the client’s gas standard for valve design criteria to maintain emergency access compliance.

View More Projects

New Client Connections

Electric Distribution Engineering

Scope of Work

• Construction design of a new overbuilt double 15kV circuit
• Designed new overhead extension dedicated for new customer while maintaining operation of underground services for surrounding industrial customers
• Completed demolition of existing underground facility services and distribution equipment
• Coordinated design with customer equipment, construction and in-service dates

Deliverables

• Site visits to scope and assess constructability of underground service
• Produce a detailed design and construction package (cost estimate, design sheets, design maps, bill of materials, circuit diagram, and material reservation using client work management application)
• Coordinate easement and permit research and secure permits with local & state jurisdiction
• Create and distribute construction packets to appropriate line shops
• Provide design support during construction

Project Highlights

• Successfully achieved customer cost commitments on a expedited schedule and provided critical support to our utility partner when internal design resources were unavailable to meet the project scope and schedule.

View More Projects

Water Crossing Evaluation

Natural Gas

Scope of Work

• Performed condition assessments of 374 pipeline stream crossings across Indiana and Kentucky
• Utilized Trimble DA2 GPS and Esri Field Maps for sub-centimeter accuracy and real-time GIS tracking
• Evaluated water crossing conditions including erosion, bank stability, and pipeline exposure
• Coordinated land access, scheduling, and communication across a wide geographic area
• Generated Corrective Action Plans (CAPs) and prioritization based on field observations

Deliverables

• Individual field reports with exposure, erosion, and integrity observations
• Risk ranking of 43 sites with noted issues
  • 3 Red: immediate action
  • 7 Orange: remediation recommended
  • 33 Yellow/none: monitoring recommended
• GIS dashboards and shapefiles with embedded condition data
• Sub-centimeter GPS data and photographic documentation per site
• Final report summarizing findings, lessons learned, and remediation recommendations

Project Highlights

• The project achieved 100% completion of 374 field sites within a six-month window and identified 13 new exposures along with multiple erosion and shallow-main risks. Throughout the work, the team maintained real-time communication and tracking through Esri and Trimble platforms, issued 31 CAPs to support immediate and planned remediation, and delivered geospatially enabled datasets and comprehensive documentation to support future asset planning.

View More Projects

Odorant Replacement Project

Natural Gas

Scope of Work

• Replaced aged odorant injection system, storage tank, containment, and building at gate station
• Decommissioned and remove existing and abandoned odorant systems and associated infrastructure
• Developed and install new odorant system including shelter, piping, controls, foundations, and electrical
• Coordinated full engineering lifecycle: design, demolition, procurement support, construction oversight, and commissioning
• Executed project within defined shut-in window to maintain system reliability and operational continuity

Deliverables

• Redlined piping and instrumentation diagrams, 3D model, isometric piping drawings, construction bill of material, and valve tie-in lists
• Civil, mechanical, structural, and electrical drawings
• Demolition drawing packages with mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation and controls scopes
• Procurement packages for tank, building, odorant system, and temporary odorization
• On-site construction support, contractor coordination, and commissioning oversight
• Final documentation including updated drawings, redlines, and closeout package

Project Highlights

• The project executed a full odorant system replacement within a limited five-month shut-in window, managing the demolition of two systems in parallel with the new installation to maintain site layout. The team proactively coordinated a temporary odorization option in case of commissioning delays, provided continuous oversight from initial design through construction and as-built documentation, and supported the development of long-term record drawings and standardized site files for future reuse.

View More Projects

69kV Transmission Line Extension

Transmission Line Engineering

Scope of Work

• Completed design to extend a 69kV line 15-miles to a new substation
• Designed 400 new steel direct embed poles supporting 477 ACSR and OPGW static
• Executed two new steel engineered poles on foundations for railroad crossing
• Existing distribution assets were designed to be transferred onto the new steel poles
• Completed four one-way switching structures at tie-in junctions

Deliverables

• Preliminary design, detailed design and construction package
• Drawings – plan and profile, framing drawings, bill of materials, drilling details, engineered pole loading tree drawings, foundation drawings, easement drawings, tree clearing drawings
• Studies – PLS-CADD model, monopole structure analysis, stringing, shielding protection
• Review vendor drawings for engineered poles, equipment, and drilling locations
• Construction and permitting support
• Incorporate as-built drawings post-construction

GIS Support

• Subsurface utility engineering level D utility locates were enhanced by digitizing both above-ground and below-ground infrastructure
• Developed a GIS web application that visualizes the entire 15-mile corridor
• The app integrated 2D mapping and 3D LiDAR survey data to improve cross-team collaboration, increase data transparency, and support more informed decision-making throughout the project lifecycle

View More Projects

345kV Ring Bus Substation

Substation Engineering

Scope of Work

• Completed design for greenfield 345kV substation with six-position ring bus configuration
• Controlled building layout including wall elevations, vendor coordination, and drawing review

Deliverables

• Fully engineered design and construction package including civil structural, physical, and protection and control
• Transmission line loading
• Studies – ground grid, lighting, and lightning
• Review vendor drawings for equipment
• Construction support
• Incorporate as-built drawings post-construction

Project Highlights

• Orbital Engineering completed the full greenfield design, coordinating with client engineers for foundation placement and sizing, communication interfaces, and security, and guided equipment vendors to ensure all equipment integrated into the design for proper performance and compliance with governing codes and standards.

View More Projects

345k Double Breaker Interconnect Substation

Construction Management

Scope of Work:

• Managed project construction through all phases of the greenfield build including civil work, below grade (ground grid, foundations, cable trench), and above grade (H-frame and steel erection, equipment setting, bus install, inside wiring, and incoming line stringing) 
• Provided safety, environmental, and quality oversight

Deliverables:

• On-site safety audits
• Daily progress reports
• Schedule tracking and input
• Requests for Information
• Non-conformance reports
• Facilitation of material deliveries/returns
• Third-party contractor coordination
• Commissioning support

Project Highlights:

• The two-year project was delivered on budget and on schedule with strong stakeholder engagement throughout its lifecycle. With no safety incidents and multiple contractors involved across major construction phases, Orbital successfully navigated complex coordination and handoff challenges by applying deep technical expertise and maintaining strict alignment with owner processes and procedures.

 

View More Projects