Why does a route survey come first?

Because the route determines the design. Span lengths, clearances, conductor selection and where the line can be supported all follow from the path it takes and what it crosses. A line designed without a survey is usually redesigned during construction, which is more expensive than surveying it first.

How is voltage drop handled on a long line?

It is calculated across the full length of the run rather than assumed from the source voltage. A line can deliver an acceptable voltage at its source and an unacceptable one at its far end, which is a design failure that only becomes visible once the line is in service.

What documentation is provided for a completed line?

The route as actually constructed, the ratings of the conductors and the installed equipment, the protection arrangements, and the results of the tests carried out before energisation. This is what a future fault or extension has to be worked from.

Part of Electrical Services

Low/Medium Voltage Line Design & Construction

Design and construction of low and medium voltage distribution lines, including survey, poles, conductors and protection.

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Overview

Overhead and underground distribution lines carry power between a source and the point of use, and their design is governed by the route as much as by the load. A line's span, its clearances, the conductor it uses and the protection at each end all follow from where it runs and what it has to cross.

The work begins with a route survey: the path the line will take, what it passes over and under, where it can be supported, and where access for construction and later maintenance is possible. That survey determines the structure — pole positions and heights, span lengths, conductor selection and the clearances that must be maintained — and it is why a line designed without one is usually redesigned during construction.

From there we construct: poles or trenching, conductors or cable, terminations, and the switchgear and protection that make the line safe to operate and possible to isolate. Voltage drop over the length of the run is calculated rather than assumed, because a line that delivers an acceptable voltage at its source and an unacceptable one at its far end has not been designed for its actual purpose.

Construction is followed by testing and energisation, and by documentation of what was built: the route as constructed, the conductor and equipment ratings, and the test results. Lines are built to the applicable standard for their voltage class, and the clearances and protection arrangements are designed to it.

How it is delivered

Delivered as survey, design, construction and energisation. The route survey and the voltage-drop calculation are done before construction rather than during it, and the completed line is handed over with as-built documentation and test results.

Questions about this service

Why does a route survey come first?: Because the route determines the design. Span lengths, clearances, conductor selection and where the line can be supported all follow from the path it takes and what it crosses. A line designed without a survey is usually redesigned during construction, which is more expensive than surveying it first.
How is voltage drop handled on a long line?: It is calculated across the full length of the run rather than assumed from the source voltage. A line can deliver an acceptable voltage at its source and an unacceptable one at its far end, which is a design failure that only becomes visible once the line is in service.
What documentation is provided for a completed line?: The route as actually constructed, the ratings of the conductors and the installed equipment, the protection arrangements, and the results of the tests carried out before energisation. This is what a future fault or extension has to be worked from.

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