HV Substation Commissioning Services Australia

• Design review: single line diagrams, protection schematics, SCADA architecture, wiring diagrams, cable schedules and settings documents checked against the specification and the connection agreement.
• Commissioning plan: commissioning procedures, inspection and test plans, hold-point schedule and risk assessment developed and submitted for approval.
• Factory acceptance follow-up: factory acceptance test (FAT) results reviewed, non-conformances tracked to closure, site acceptance test (SAT) scope confirmed. Megavar can also run the factory acceptance tests.

• Power transformers: transformer testing covering turns ratio, DC winding resistance, insulation resistance, tan delta, excitation current and vector group verification to AS 60076 and IEC 60076; sweep frequency response analysis; and baseline dissolved gas analysis, with oil sampled on site and analysed by a laboratory.
• Switchgear and circuit breakers: contact resistance, insulation resistance, timing and travel, and operation counter checks to IEC 62271; SF6 pressure and gas quality on SF6-insulated plant.
• Protection relays: protection relay testing by secondary injection of each function enabled in the approved settings (overcurrent, directional, differential, distance, under and over voltage, frequency, breaker fail, auto-reclose, synchronism check), with settings verified against the approved schedule.
• Current transformers: ratio, polarity, excitation (magnetisation) curve, winding resistance and burden.
• Voltage transformers: ratio, polarity, insulation resistance and secondary circuit checks.
• Current loops: primary injection to prove the CT circuits in scope from the primary conductor through to the relay, as distinct from the protection scheme tests in Phase 3.
• HV cables: insulation resistance, VLF withstand where specified, sheath integrity and phasing.
• Earthing: earthing grid resistance, step and touch potentials, continuity, and earth fault loop impedance on the LV auxiliary circuits.
• DC systems: battery, charger, distribution, changeover, UPS and trip circuit supervision.

• SCADA and communications: SCADA commissioning with point-to-point verification of every status, control, analogue and alarm in the installed scope; DNP3, IEC 61850 and Modbus protocol testing; alarm propagation to the network control room, and the telemetry and interface tests the connection agreement requires for AEMO where they apply.
• IEC 61850: GOOSE messaging between intelligent electronic devices (IEDs), SCL (Substation Configuration Language) file validation, MMS (Manufacturing Message Specification) reporting to SCADA and data model confirmation across IEDs from different manufacturers.
• Protection scheme logic: intertripping, permissive schemes, busbar zone selection, breaker fail backup, auto-reclose sequences and load shedding tested end to end as complete schemes.
• Interlocking: electrical and software interlocks proved for the switching scenarios in the approved operating philosophy, including key exchange systems.

• Energisation support: Megavar engineers on site through staged HV energisation, transformer and bus energisation, and load transfer, with on-load checks of protection currents, phase angles and directionality. Switching is carried out under the network operator's or asset owner's authority.
• Soak period: post-energisation monitoring through the initial operating period.
• Handover: the commissioning records package, which includes all test records, as-found and as-left settings and non-conformance closures. Design and wiring errors found during commissioning are marked up and returned to the designer for the final as-built design; producing the as-built drawings themselves is included where it is in Megavar's contracted scope.

Megavar's published commissioning case studies cover transformer replacements, live-substation switchgear replacement, switchyard augmentation and the HV plant of utility-scale battery energy storage systems. The project rating and the network connection voltage are context; the Megavar scope column is what Megavar tested and commissioned.

Case study: 22 kV switchgear replacement, design and commissioning

Each Megavar commissioning project is led by one of a small team of commissioning managers, each with a background in HV site testing, who holds the commissioning programme, the hold-point schedule and the client interface from pre-energisation planning through to handover. The test teams are Megavar engineers and testers working to the commissioning plan. The same engineering group produces Megavar's primary, secondary and SCADA designs, so the commissioning engineers review protection schematics and settings as designers as well as testers. Megavar was founded in 2003, holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certification, and holds electrical contractor licences in every Australian state.

• Independent commissioning – We don’t build it and then mark our own work. Independent commissioning provides unbiased quality assurance.
• 20+ years’ experience – Hundreds of substations commissioned across every voltage class and configuration.
• Omicron test platform – The industry standard for modern digital protection and control testing.
• National coverage: offices in Tasmania, South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland.
• ISO 9001, 14001, 45001 – Quality, environmental, and safety management systems certified.
• Electrical contractors licences: Licensed in every Australian state.

Ready to commission your substation? Contact Megavar today on 1300 730 499 or visit our contact page to request a quote.

Whether you’re dealing with the intricacies of electrical design, power system modelling, or the need for thorough auditing services, we provide solutions to address your specific challenges and enhance the reliability and efficiency of your power systems.

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