Our design and construction team provided a turnkey solution for helical pile foundations for Dominion's Pembroke Creek Substation.
The project consists of a three-position ring bus that provides the interconnection point for a developer solar farm including two line positions, three 230-kV breakers, eight switches and multiple high-voltage metering devices. The initiative brings more renewable energy online within Dominion's system.
The soils in the area are soft and sandy, with a high water table, creating many challenges for typical concrete foundations. The schedule for construction was also compressed.
Helical pile foundations — designed by Burns & McDonnell and fabricated and installed by our construction subsidiary, AZCO — are extremely well-suited for the poor soil conditions. This single-team solution expedited the preparation of a solution for the field, and helical piles saved nearly a month of construction time.
This project also required extensive design and coordination with our Geotechnical Group to produce designs in a matter of days rather than weeks to stay on schedule. AZCO also expedited the steel fabrication to get the piles on-site early.