To stay abreast of the latest design technologies and safety requirements, our engineers are actively involved members of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, American National Standards Institute, and the National Electric Safety Code. MEI Engineers and technicians use PLS-CADD to design a wide variety of transmission power lines and structures.

Services

• Computer-Aided Transmission Power Line Design using PLS-CADD
• Design of Structures and Foundations using PLS-POLE, CAISSON, and LPILE
• Detailed Job Packages—Line Design, Construction Staging, Conductor Sag and Tension Charts to Owner Standards
• Easement Research and Acquisition
• Load Requirements and Design Drawings for Full-Scale Structural Tests
• Transmission Power Line Upgrades and Modifications, Reconductoring Design Procurement and Consulting
• CCN Applications
• Centerline Surveys
• Construction/Project Management
• Construction Inspection
• Consulting and Training for National Electrical Safety Code
• Develop Plan and Profile Drawings
• Development of Purchase Specifications and Drawings
• High Temperature (200°C) Conductor Design
• Material Specifications and Contract Bid Documents
• Materials Engineering and Procurement
• Regulatory Permit Consulting and Filing
• Transmission Power Line Design and Calculations

• Capacitor Placement Studies
• Capital Improvement Planning and Engineering
• Electric System Economic Analysis
• Motor Start Analysis
• RUS Construction Work Plans
• RUS Environmental Reports
• RUS Financial Forecast Studies
• RUS Long Range Plans
• Substation and System Load Projections
• Substation Feasibility Studies
• System Arc Flash and NERC Compliance Studies
• System Protection Studies
• Voltage Drop Studies

MEI uses IEEE, ASCE, and NEMA standards to provide a proven design basis for every substation design project. Other industry accepted practices by organizations such as the RUS Substation Design Guide are applied. With more than thirty years of experience directly related to power transformer procurement, quality assurance, maintenance practices, condition assessments, and forensic analysis, our services are available to assist clients with matters related to their power transformers. We utilize AutoCAD on client projects to verify clearances, working space and drawing accuracy. All drawings are reviewed and approved by a licensed professional engineer prior to issuing for construction.

Services

• 138 kV Substation Designs
• 138 kV Capacitor Installations
• 138 kV Relay Schemes
• 138 kV Meter Configurations
• Analysis of protective system events
• Construction Supervision by Critical Path Method (CPM)
• Determine Initial System Requirements
• Development of Material Specifications
• Development of Construction Bid Unit Specifications
• Issue the project for bid
• Management of the construction contractor
• Feasibility Studies
• Full EPC packages to Owner or MEI Standards
• Grounding System Analysis and Design
• Material Specification and Labor Procurement Through Competitive Bid Process
• Materials Engineering and Procurement
• New Substation Design (Electrical, Structural, Civil)
• Oil Containment Systems
• Power factor correction studies
• Regulatory permitting and filing
• Relay calculations and settings
• Relay scheme design
• Reliability Analysis
• Reliability-Based Design
• Retrofit/Capacity Increases
• SCADA Design
• Site Development Proposals
• Site Location Planning Design Specifications
• Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) Plans
• Substation Apparatus Consulting (Witness of Factory Test, Application Consulting, Rating, )
• Project and Construction Management, Including management of construction Activities at Client Sites
• Upgrades and Modifications, Including Developing Designs and Plans to Facilitate keeping the Substation in Service During Construction
• Vendor evaluation and component selection
• CPM Scheduling

At McCord Engineering, we continue to grow our fleet, develop new technologies and add modern sensors to collect valuable data. We partner with a team of experienced utility industry professionals and FAA licensed pilots, dedicated to applying state-of-the-art technologies to produce high-quality deliverables for our clients. Our objective is to provide highly refined and accurate data to our clients about their facilities in the field in order to support specific business decisions and objectives. While many other firms are working toward diversifying their services across multiple industries, at McCord Engineering, we are staying focused on developing the best possible services and resources for the electric utility industry.

We go beyond standard engineering services to offer expertise in utility operations to include right-of-way practices, work package development and closing, customer charging policies, rates, unit estimating systems, outage analysis, joint use, and standard utility designs. Our utility clients value our knowledge, and we specialize in areas that often present a challenge to utility operations. MEI offers specific construction management services or complete turnkey projects. We also specialize in making modifications to existing facilities while maintaining continuous electric service to customers.

Services

• 15 kV to 35 kV Overhead Electric Utility Infrastructure Design
• Construction and Material Bid Specifications, Procurement, and Contracts
• Construction Contract Management
• Cost Estimates and Material Lists
• Easement Research and Acquisition
• Emergency Assistance with Major Storm Events and Outages & Restoration
• Engineering and Design of 15 kV to 35 kV Underground Infrastructure including encased conduit, manhole, and boring
• Engineering and Design for Overhead and Underground Voltage Conversions and Reconductoring
• Field Inventory, Staking Services, and Drawing Development
• Inspection Services for 15 kV to 35 kV Overhead/Underground Construction and Maintenance
• Line Relocation Design for Roadway Improvement Projects
• Make-Ready Engineering for Communications Utility Attachments
• Motor Start Analysis
• Pad-Mount Switchgear Applications, Manual Operated and Automatic Transfer
• Power Quality Investigations & Issues
• Roadway and Outdoor Area Lighting Design, Installation and Maintenance
• Staking Training Classes
• Unit Drawing Specifications

Data Collection Services:

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) Utilizing a UAV platform for data collection sensors and high-resolution cameras provides a vantage point for the most complete information and imagery available, and it is not subject to the same limitations in access as ground-based data collection. Data that once took days to obtain through traditional survey and inventory methods is now gathered in a matter of hours with greater accuracy and far more detail.

UAV Sensors

• LiDAR
• FLIR Infrared
• 4K Video High Resolution Still Cameras
• Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)

In most cases, all sensors can collect data simultaneously in one flight. This creates a series of data that can be used for many different applications. For more information on our Unmanned Aerial Vehicles click here.

The Project Manager will perform and/or assign a Construction Inspector to perform construction management and inspections. The role of Construction Inspector is vital to the success of the construction project. This role is responsible for enforcing the Engineer approved designs per the drawings and construction specifications. Inspections and coordination with the Construction Contractor are the best ways to ensure that the Construction Contractor performs in accordance with the drawings and construction specifications. The function of the “Construction Inspector” includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Coordinate all project site visits with the client’s representative, if required.
• Review of materials on hand and schedule deliveries.
• Review the construction schedule with the Construction Contractor and update as necessary.
• Periodically visit the construction site to observe and document construction progress, as needed (frequency to be determined by client).
• Be present at the site to witness execution of critical construction milestones as required by the construction specification.
• Assist with ensuring construction is being implemented according to the plans, construction specifications and schedule. Site inspection is expected to resolve most, if not all, design and construction conflicts.
• Each construction inspection should include digital photographs of the construction progress. Site visit notes will be included in the written progress report.
• Progress reports will be issued to the client monthly, or as required.

Services vary from helping the client with the setup and integration process of starting an electronic mapping system, to actually performing a complete field data inventory of the electric system and producing an electric system model containing true electric connectivity that includes a “parent-child” relationship with all equipment (capacitors, fuses, regulators, switches, etc.), primary line, transformers, and consumers. The system model then allows for engineering analysis on the current mapping system.

A full inventory can be performed on all facilities (poles, meters, transformers, capacitors, fuses, reclosers, regulators, switches, etc.) including all pole framing assembly units. All of the Poles’ birthmarks which include the height, class, and year of the pole, right-of-way clearing data, foreign (telephone, cable, and communications) contacts, and all street and security light poles can be collected. By collecting this data it will serve as an asset to all departments (i.e. mapping, engineering, operations, construction, planning, accounting, marketing, and management) and will aid in the upkeep and maintenance of the system.

Services

• Global Positioning System (GPS) Field Data Collection
• Complete Facility Inventory
• Translation/Conversion of GPS Data to Mapping System
• Mapping System Setup/Integration, Custom Symbol Design, and Accurate Data Mapping utilizing WindMil and WindMilMap by Milsoft Utility Solutions and ESRI and AutoCAD Map 3D (Autodesk, Inc.)

We have negotiated with both ERCOT and the Southwest Power Pool for our clients, which include municipal electric utilities, rural electric cooperatives, and retail electric end-users.

Your MEI wholesale power supply consultant can assist with:

• Managing the Request for Proposal (RFP) process for competitive power supply solutions.
• Contract negotiation for a range of products including long and short term, full and partial requirement baseload, intermediate, and peaking contracts.