PDi2 Playbook

CASE STUDIES 48 CASE STUDY VI – DESIGN, PERMITTING, & CONSTRUCTION American Electric Power (AEP) – Process for design, permitting, and construction being used for a resiliency program that included hardening, undergrounding, and SmartGrid efforts. CHALLENGE  Since 2009, AEP has worked on a resiliency program that included hardening, undergrounding, and SmartGrid efforts to improve reliability and customer satisfaction. A 2009 undergrounding program was piloted and ultimately ended due to financial constraints. Launched the same year, the AEP gridSMART program built around selecting segments for undergrounding, designing, permitting, and constructing these segments proved challenging. Municipalities, communities, and customers have an aversion to torn up streets, sidewalks, and yards, as well as aggressive tree trimming operations. Finding the right balance of work and approach to orchestrating this work to build designs, secure permitting, implement construction, and satisfy customer communication demands was the challenge. SOLUTION  Given the challenges associated with a fast startup pace paired with design, securing permits, implementing construction, and satisfying customer communication demands, AEP outsourced selected activities to Patrick Engineering to support execution. Patrick mobilized within two weeks to provide assistance with the technical review of the proposed technologies and vendor selection. Tasks undertaken by Patrick Engineering included: o Technical review, project controls, circuit studies, PUCO/AEP/external affairs deliverables, construction management, project management organization, and sponsor-level support. o Staff augmentation to meet AEP’s construction management tasks. RESULT  The undergrounding program accomplished 90-100 miles converting one backyard at a time, 40 neighborhoods impacted, nearly 10,000 customers seeing benefits.  AEP realized the program was not as expensive as initially estimated. Because the program does not focus on feeders that are costly to bury, the utility realized it was spending $570,000 to $580,000 per mile to bury the lines, rather than the original estimate of $1 million per mile. REFERENCE CONTACT  Robert Grawe, Engineering Manager, American Electric Power  Jon Olenski, Electric Utility Practice Leader, Patrick Engineering, Cell: 312-316-7906, email: jolenski@patrickco.com SOURCES  #196, #206, #207

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