Valmont Utility® Controlled Environment Construction (CEC): A Better Way to Build a Substation

Construction is the phase of substation development where your exposure is greatest for delays, budget overruns, missed deadlines and worker safety. By building substations indoors, you eliminate most of the exposure and unpredictability in the substation construction process.

Valmont Utility® Controlled Environment Construction (CEC) offers so much more than the benefits of simply moving on-site construction indoors. CEC substations from Valmont Utility are built the way substations should be, which includes:

  • Proprietary jigs and fixtures engineered and built by Valmont offer more precise construction, while reducing waste and potential problems that could occur during field installation.
  • Non-sequential, Simultaneous Construction - We optimize your substation construction schedule so that multiple phases of construction can take place simultaneously. This reduces construction time and saves money.
  • 3D modeling, Augmented Reality and LIDAR scanning ensures a precise fit and the most efficient construction processes.

There’s no question that the ability to build substations indoors has changed how they will be built forever. The savings in cost and time, the increase in worker safety, improved construction quality and the creation of a more exact and robust substation are noteworthy. But where some simply moved outdoor construction inside, we saw the chance to deliver more.

CEC Substation on Truck

Increasing Quality, Reducing Risk

Valmont Utility CEC reduces the exposure to the risks involved with substation construction because it touches nearly every part of the process:

  • Saves time and money - The reduction in time compared to on-site construction also saves costs.
  • Minimizes Weather Impact - Building inside means the weather is ideal for substation construction every day.
  • Improves Worker Safety - The potential hazards of on-site construction are virtually eliminated by the control and predictability of indoor construction.
  • More Tools and Resources - Building in a designated facility means workers have access to the right resources—lifting equipment, tooling, engineering data, etc. They’re not limited to what will fit on a truck. When construction standards are higher, so is substation quality.
  • Reduces Installation Time - A substation that takes multiple weeks to construct once on site, will only require 1 or 2 days to install in the field.
  • Produces a More Robust Substation - During transport, substations are subject to hurricane force winds and the motion of a small earthquake. Your substation is pretested against environmental extremes before it ever enters service.
  • Labor Shortage - Recruiting and retaining specialized craftsmen is difficult. CEC eliminates recruiting worries and puts the industry’s best to work building your substation.

For decades, electric utilities have looked to Valmont Utility for leadership in the design, manufacturing and delivery of substation structures that are the industry’s best. It only makes sense that we would lead through Valmont Utility CEC as well.

To learn more about CEC, check out our video or contact your Valmont Utility representative to learn more.

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