INDEPENDENCE, Missouri — Burns & McDonnell, a 100% employee-owned engineering and construction company, has successfully implemented its FaciliRate transmission ratings management platform for Independence Power & Light (IPL), helping the Missouri utility streamline ratings processes management and support compliance with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Order 881 requirements.

FaciliRate is a centralized transmission ratings management platform designed to help utilities calculate, manage and report ratings data while improving compliance, increasing operational visibility and standardizing workflows across transmission assets.

FERC Order 881 requires transmission providers to implement ambient-adjusted ratings that account for changing weather conditions, improving the accuracy and transparency of transmission line capacity calculations.

Burns & McDonnell configured the FaciliRate platform to align with IPL’s approved ratings operations while integrating both FAC-008 and FERC Order 881 requirements into a centralized workflow. The implementation standardized ratings calculations, seasonal assumptions, ambient-adjusted ratings processes and reporting procedures across the utility’s transmission facilities.

“FaciliRate helped us establish a more centralized and consistent approach to managing facility ratings data while supporting our FERC Order 881 compliance efforts,” says Cypress Heide, engineer at IPL. “The platform improved visibility into our ratings processes and streamlined workflows that were previously manual and time-intensive.”

“Utilities face increasing pressure to modernize ratings management processes while meeting evolving regulatory requirements,” says Samuel Agranoff, product manager for FaciliRate and electrical engineer for Burns & McDonnell. “FaciliRate provides a scalable, auditable platform that centralizes ratings data, improves consistency and streamlines compliance workflows.”

The implementation supports IPL’s efforts to improve consistency in ratings management, enhance audit readiness and automate critical compliance reporting processes.

About Burns & McDonnell

Working from more than 75 offices around the world, Burns & McDonnell designs and builds critical infrastructure. Our family of companies — driven by engineers, construction professionals, architects, planners, technologists and scientists — delivers projects grounded in safety and a desire to make a difference as we make our clients successful. Founded in 1898, Burns & McDonnell is 100% employee-owned. Learn more.

About FaciliRate

FaciliRate is a transmission ratings management platform developed by Burns & McDonnell to help utilities automate facility ratings calculations, streamline compliance workflows and improve operational visibility across transmission assets. Burns & McDonnell is ranked No. 1 in Power and No. 1 in Transmission & Distribution by Engineering News-Record.