Project

Watson Substation

Our team was the engineer-procure-construct (EPC) delivery partner for the Watson Substation, a 138/23-kV gas-insulated substation (GIS) in downtown Pittsburgh. The greenfield facility was designed to strengthen electric reliability and support long-term growth in the Uptown neighborhood, a dense urban setting near prominent institutions and amid a critical economic and cultural corridor.

From early concept development through final energization, the project required close collaboration among engineering, construction and commissioning teams. Together, we navigated complex urban logistics, long-lead equipment procurement, extensive underground utility work and multiphase construction sequencing to safely turn over the facility ahead of schedule.

The project features a compact substation footprint, an enclosed control building and extensive underground infrastructure, allowing the station to operate efficiently while minimizing its visual and physical presence within the surrounding neighborhood. Architectural screening, facade lighting and stormwater management features align the station with nearby development. Rooftop solar panels offset a portion of the station’s energy use and power architectural lighting. 

Client

Duquesne Light Company (DLC)

Location

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Region

Mid-Atlantic

Services

Underground Transmission

Underground Distribution

Substations

Industry

Power

Our team designed and built the substation, plus underground transmission and distribution infrastructure to connect into adjacent existing circuits. The substation building houses 138-kV GIS and 23-kV metal-clad switchgear, with three 138/23-kV and five 23/11-kV power transformers.

The underground cable design included tie-ins to existing circuits with multiple branch points. The team addressed constructability constraints for large three-conductor paper-insulated lead-covered (PILC) to ethylene propylene rubber (EPR) splices by designing transition spans using three one-conductor PILC cable to improve installation in space-limited manholes.

The team coordinated a high volume of outages to support manhole rebuilds and cable cutovers, using weekly status calls and detailed outage planning trackers to align with DLC’s outage requirements. For the underground transmission tie, the team executed full EPC delivery of the high-pressure fluid-filled (HPFF) system, including cut-in to the existing cable system, installation of new pumping plants at the substation, and duct and cable installation.