Utility

Buried Regulator Program Evaluation

Natural Gas

Scope of Work

• Evaluated 3,300 buried gas regulators across a regional network
• Developed cost-efficient remediation strategies based on risk and infrastructure proximity
• Assessed replacement options, including mainline extensions and above-grade designs
• Benchmarked project costs using historical construction data
• Built geospatial tools to identify regional clusters and prioritize replacements
• Created installation guidelines using a data-driven breakeven distance threshold

Deliverables

• Engineering assessment report including:
  • Cost comparisons for above-grade vs. below-grade remediation methods
  • Risk evaluation and compliance considerations
  • Capital project analysis of 27 replacement efforts
• GIS-based proximity analysis and cluster modeling to guide future planning
• Prioritization tool using spreadsheet, dashboard, and geospatial integration
• Replacement decision-making framework incorporating breakeven cost thresholds
• Tracking enhancements to align asset records across engineering and mapping systems

Project Highlights

• The project produced a utility-wide remediation model for buried gas regulators, defining per-regulator cost drivers and a breakeven point for choosing between regulator replacement and main extensions. Orbital analyzed multiple design alternatives to standardize future installations and enable strategic, program-wide planning through GIS, engineering analytics, and stakeholder input.

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Department Of Transportation (DOT) Project

Electric Distribution Engineering

Scope of Work

• Construction design for the relocation of existing 25kV sub-transmission and 15kV distribution overhead utilities to accommodate Department of Transportation (DOT) highway modifications and widening
• Coordinated with Department of Transportation (DOT) and other utilities for phased construction approach
• Facilitated and obtained private right of ways for new utility structures and easements
• Completed forestry efforts
• Designed demolition of existing facilities and distribution equipment
• Provided engineering support for highway rated underground utility designs

Deliverables

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

Project Highlights

• Orbital upheld all Department of Transportation (DOT) cost and schedule commitments throughout this multi-year effort, which began prior to 2020 and continued through COVID-era restrictions. When the utility partner faced internal resource limitations, Orbital stepped in to provide critical design and engineering support, keeping the project on track and maintaining construction momentum.

Main Replacement Program – Class 4/5 Estimates

Natural Gas

Overview

• Location: Indiana
• Client: Midwest Investor-Owned Utility
• Timeline: 6 Months

Scope

• Reviewed four years of pipeline replacement plans totaling 240 miles
• Applied Class 4 estimates to 70 miles: Class 5 estimates to 170 miles
• Incorporated a 5% annual inflation factor
• Retirement estimates assumed in-place retirement except at aerial crossings
• Estimates included design, labor, material, construction costs, safety oversight, and restoration requirements
• Risk-ranked spreadsheet provided by client guided scope prioritization
• Preliminary design identified critical crossings and restoration areas

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34kV Breaker Replacement Program

Substation Engineering

Scope of Work

• Replace four 34kV circuit breakers
• Adaptation to re-use existing foundation
• Replace seven disconnect switches
• New cable trench
• Upgrade bus differential relaying and transformer relaying

Deliverables

• Detail design and construction package
  • Drawings – demolition, protection and control, physical, civil and structural
  • Review vendor drawings for breakers, disconnect switches, and cable trench
  • Material procurement support
• Construction support
• Incorporate as-built drawings post-construction

Project Highlights

• Orbital Engineering provided full engineering services for the breaker replacement program, including management of multiple sites, coordination of equipment ordering, and completion of required protection upgrades.

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Overdue Pole Audit

Electric Distribution Engineering

Scope of Work

• 1549 poles were identified failing inspection but had no record of being replaced between 2015-2020
• Field audit identified poles and document findings
• Created design packets for poles that have not been replaced

Deliverables

• Report of findings from audit including, photos and checklist noting branding, inspection tags, double wood, reinforcements, and additional items
• Produce a detailed design and construction package (cost estimate, design sheets, design maps, bill of materials, circuit diagram, and material reservation)

Project Highlights

• Orbital spatially enabled a prioritized list of utility poles to assess potential replacements. A custom inspection schema was deployed in a field data collection app. All collected information was synced to a centralized GIS dashboard and database, enabling automated generation of photo reports for poles flagged for replacement, streamlining the creation of bid packages for construction teams.

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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.

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138kV Substation Expansion

Substation Engineering

Scope of Work:

• Completed design to interconnect new 25MW battery & 100MW solar facility to existing substation
• Expanded existing 138kV ring bus and add one new 138kV breaker position
• Required temporary configuration of existing 138kV line to facilitate construction
• Engineered two new monopoles and one H-frame to reconnect transmission line to expanded station
• New control building with new fiber connection to support protection and controls, and telecommunications

Deliverables:

• Detail design and construction package
  • Drawings – demolition, protection and control, physical, civil, transmission line with load trees
  • Studies – ground grid, foundations, substation structures, transmission line structures
  • Review vendor drawings for equipment, engineered structures, and calculations
• Construction support
• Incorporate as-built drawings post-construction

Project Highlights:

• Orbital Engineering navigated precise construction sequencing including temporary configurations to enable site build out while limiting downtime. Design included the relocation of existing transmission line to successfully expand the substation for the new solar and battery facility interconnection.

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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.

 

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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.

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