Utility Services
The Power to Serve Communities
Energy infrastructure is the backbone of progress, yet aging assets and the transition to renewable generation present complex challenges. At Orbital, we recognize that a reliable future depends on strong infrastructure and strong partnerships. That’s why we work closely with utilities to design and deliver safe, reliable, and adaptable solutions. By aligning our expertise with your strategic initiatives, we modernize assets, enhance system reliability, support renewable integration, and create sustainable growth across your service territory.
Transmission Line Engineering
Our electric transmission line engineering and design team ensures your transmission assets are built for reliability, efficiency, and compliance with industry regulations and standards. Their expertise in engineering transmission assets up to 500kV allows for seamless integration in supporting engineering for renewable energy interconnections, data center installations and connections, modernization of aging infrastructure, and expansion of your grid to meet the growing energy demand.
Substation Engineering
We provide comprehensive engineering and design services for both greenfield and brownfield substation projects, ensuring tailored solutions for your new installations or upgrades to a station from 4kV to 500kV. The team will partner with your organization to understand your unique projects objectives and deliver customized solutions for physical design and protection and control installation and upgrades. Utilizing our expertise in electrical and civil engineering, the Orbital team offers an effective approach to project engineering, procurement, and project management.
Distribution Line Engineering
Our electric distribution engineering and design services are tailored to meet the unique needs of your utility, designing reliable solutions to your grid modernization programmatic projects and increased client service connection demands. Orbital offers expertise in engineering and design for distribution projects through 69kV. Our team provides viable overhead and underground distribution design deliverables to meet the needs of your program, acting as an extension to your current team. Partnering with your team to design adaptable, future-ready infrastructure that meets the growing demand of today and tomorrow.
Joint Use Services
The joint use industry has become an increasingly focused area of the business for electric utilities due to the expansion of high speed internet buildouts in rural communities across the nation and associated federal funding. Orbital develops dedicated teams to support utilities in meeting their regulated timelines associated with the ever increasing new pole attachment applications received by their joint use programs. Our experienced teams are dedicated to meeting your programmatic needs, delivering make ready designs that meet the NESC and construction standards, completing pole loading analysis, cost causing and programmatic invoicing, and construction. The Orbital team will support seamless integration of operational services to manage or support administration of your joint use program.
Natural Gas Engineering
Orbital’s natural gas engineering and design team has expertise in programmatic engineering supporting transmission and distribution assets, metering and regulator stations, field operational management, risk management, and construction oversight. Our team provides experience in field operations, routine inspections, engineering for new installations and upgrades to infrastructure, and project management.
Construction Services
Our electric transmission line engineering and design team ensures your transmission assets are built for reliability, efficiency, and compliance with industry regulations and standards. Their expertise in engineering transmission assets up to 500kV allows for seamless integration in supporting engineering for renewable energy interconnections, data center installations and connections, modernization of aging infrastructure, and expansion of your grid to meet the growing energy demand.
Double Pole Mitigation Program
Partnering with Orbital to implement a comprehensive double pole mitigation program helps your utility stay ahead in safety, reliability, and compliance. Orbital provides the tools, data insights, field expertise, and construction services to make the entire process—from detection to resolution—not only more efficient, but also fully executable. This end-to-end support saves your teams time and lowers operational risks. By working with Orbital, you improve public and worker safety and demonstrate proactive asset management to regulators and customers. Together, we can turn a common backlog challenge into a clear success story for your organization.
Aggregated Asset Management Program (AAMP)
Utilities nationwide are continuously exploring innovative ways to gather and analyze field data of their assets. The goal is to extend asset lifespan or create mitigation strategies to support grid modernization and improve reliability. Orbital’s Aggregated Asset Management Program (AAMP) employs a uniform data collection and analysis method, offering our clients deeper insights and added value in asset management. By utilizing advanced technologies, our team can collect data once and provide multiple services, such as vegetation management oversight, monitoring overcurrent conditions, analyzing asset degradation, creating digital twins, and delivering detailed, structured solutions. AAMP enhances risk-based mitigation for utility assets by providing actionable outcomes derived from predictive analytics to impact grid reliability directly.
Advanced Technology Services
Our electric transmission line engineering and design team ensures your transmission assets are built for reliability, efficiency, and compliance with industry regulations and standards. Their expertise in engineering transmission assets up to 500kV allows for seamless integration in supporting engineering for renewable energy interconnections, data center installations and connections, modernization of aging infrastructure, and expansion of your grid to meet the growing energy demand.
Utility Projects
See how Orbital supports your ability to deliver safe, reliable and affordable energy solutions to your communities.
Odorant Replacement Project
Scope of Work
- Replaced aged odorant injection system, storage tank, containment, and building at gate station
- Decommissioned and remove existing and abandoned odorant systems and associated infrastructure
- Developed and install new odorant system including shelter, piping, controls, foundations, and electrical
- Coordinated full engineering lifecycle: design, demolition, procurement support, construction oversight, and commissioning
- Executed project within defined shut-in window to maintain system reliability and operational continuity
Deliverables
- Redlined piping and instrumentation diagrams, 3D model, isometric piping drawings, construction bill of material, and valve tie-in lists
- Civil, mechanical, structural, and electrical drawings
- Demolition drawing packages with mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation and controls scopes
- Procurement packages for tank, building, odorant system, and temporary odorization
- On-site construction support, contractor coordination, and commissioning oversight
- Final documentation including updated drawings, redlines, and closeout package
Project Highlights
- The project executed a full odorant system replacement within a limited five-month shut-in window, managing the demolition of two systems in parallel with the new installation to maintain site layout. The team proactively coordinated a temporary odorization option in case of commissioning delays, provided continuous oversight from initial design through construction and as-built documentation, and supported the development of long-term record drawings and standardized site files for future reuse.
Buried Regulator Program Evaluation
Scope of Work
- Evaluated 3,300 buried gas regulators across a regional network
- Developed cost-efficient remediation strategies based on risk and infrastructure proximity
- Assessed replacement options, including mainline extensions and above-grade designs
- Benchmarked project costs using historical construction data
- Built geospatial tools to identify regional clusters and prioritize replacements
- Created installation guidelines using a data-driven breakeven distance threshold
Deliverables
- Engineering assessment report including:
- Cost comparisons for above-grade vs. below-grade remediation methods
- Risk evaluation and compliance considerations
- Capital project analysis of 27 replacement efforts
- GIS-based proximity analysis and cluster modeling to guide future planning
- Prioritization tool using spreadsheet, dashboard, and geospatial integration
- Replacement decision-making framework incorporating breakeven cost thresholds
- Tracking enhancements to align asset records across engineering and mapping systems
Project Highlights
- The project produced a utility-wide remediation model for buried gas regulators, defining per-regulator cost drivers and a breakeven point for choosing between regulator replacement and main extensions. Orbital analyzed multiple design alternatives to standardize future installations and enable strategic, program-wide planning through GIS, engineering analytics, and stakeholder input.
New 69kv-12.5kv Substation
Overview
- Location: Indiana
- Client: Midwest Investor-Owned Utility
- Timeline: Approximately 9 months
Scope
- Design civil and drainage plan for new substation
- Design new 69kv-12.5kv substation including the following major pieces of equipment:
- (2) 69kv incoming line load break disconnect switches
- (2) 69kv bus tie disconnect switches
- (2) 69kv circuit switchers for primary transformer protection
- (2) 69kv-12.5kv, 28mva transformers
- (1) 12.5kv switchgear building with (5) 12.5kv feeder circuits
- Design 12.5kv feeder cable/conduit runs to 1st pole outside of the substation
- Perform grounding study and design ground grid
- Prepare storm water pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) for project
