Substation Grounding Training

Substation Grounding Training Substation Grounding Training

This 12-hour live online substation grounding course provides essential training on the design, inspection, testing, and maintenance of grounding systems for high-voltage transmission and distribution systems, focusing on electrical power substations.

Proper substation grounding is critical for safety, equipment protection, and reliable power system operation. Whether in utility or industrial settings, substation components rely on well-designed grounding systems to safely dissipate fault currents and protect personnel from electrical hazards. Over time, grounding systems may degrade due to corrosion, physical damage, or environmental exposure, making regular testing and evaluation a necessary part of any substation maintenance program.

This course offers a comprehensive approach to substation grounding. Participants will explore key principles, from the fundamentals of grounding design to advanced soil resistivity modelling and current distribution analysis. The training will also cover essential procedures for installing and maintaining temporary working grounds and ensuring lightning and surge protection.

 

Course Topics Include:

  • Principles of high-voltage grounding system design

  • Soil resistivity testing and two-layer soil model analysis

  • Grounding system testing: impedance, current distribution, and bonding integrity

  • Inspection and maintenance techniques for grounding systems

  • Safety standards for grounding of substation equipment

  • Installation and testing of temporary working grounds

  • Grounding for surge and lightning protection systems

  • Grounding conductors: selection, sizing, and material considerations

  • Application of grounding in utility networks and industrial substations

  • Electrical bonding and equipotential safety practices

 

Learning Outcomes

After Attending, You Will Be Able To:

  • ✅ Understand the basics of high-voltage grounding and why it’s essential for safety and reliability

  • ✅ Apply proper electrical bonding practices in high-voltage systems

  • ✅ Select and size grounding conductors based on system needs and standards

  • ✅ Evaluate and maintain grounding systems for substations using proven testing methods

  • ✅ Integrate high-voltage surge and lightning protection into grounding designs

  • ✅ Ensure compliance with safety codes and reduce risks to personnel and equipment

 

Related Training and Resources

To enhance your understanding of electrical infrastructure, see our related courses and guides:

 

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

This course is designed for engineering project managers, engineers, and technicians from utilities who have built or are considering building or retrofitting substations or distribution systems with SCADA and substation integration and automation equipment.

  • Utility and Industrial Electrical Engineers and Engineering Technicians
  • Transmission planning engineers
  • Distribution planning engineers
  • Substation Design Engineers
  • Consulting Electrical Engineers
  • Substation network management engineers
  • Substation maintenance and construction engineers & technologists

 

STUDENTS RECEIVE

  • 1.2 Continuing Education Unit (CEU) Credits (12 Professional Development Hours)
  • Certificate of Course Completion
  • $100 Coupon Toward Any Future Electricity Forum Event (Restrictions Apply)
  • FREE Electricity Today Magazine Subscription (Value $25.00)
  • Course Presentation Materials In PDF Format

 

 

Substation Grounding Training Course Outline

 

DAY ONE
  

SESSION 1: DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS    

  • Determination of Need of Personal Protective Grounding
  • Basic Criteria for Safe Grounding Practices
  • Electric Shock Hazard
  • Grounding Practices
  • Basic Design Options
  • Soil Resistivity
  • Ground Fault Currents
  • Fault clearing Time  

 

SESSION 2: GROUNDING STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES

  • IEEE 80, IEEE Guide for Safety in AC Substation Grounding
  • ASTM F 855 Standard Specifications for Temporary Protective Grounds
  • IEEE 1246, IEEE Guide for Temporary Protective Grounding Systems Used in Substations
  • IEEE 1048, IEEE Guide for Protective Grounding of Power Lines
  • FIST 5-1 Personal Protective Grounding for Electric Power Facilities (U.S.B.R.)

 

SESSION 3: GROUNDING OPTIONS   

  • Ground Cable Assemblies
  • Grounding Cable Ampacities
  • Grounding Cable Reactance
  • Parallel Grounds
  • Grounding Clamps
  • Grounding Insulated Power Cable
  • Ground Potential Rise (GPR) in Medium- and High-Voltage Systems 

 

SESSION 4: SUBSTATION GROUNDING SYSTEMS

  • Ground grid conductors
  • Ground rods
  • Soil and rock layers
  • Connections to equipment and grounded tanks
  • Connectors used for ground grid application (IEEE 837)
  • Substation fence and gate grounding
  • Ground grates and switch operating platforms
  • Grounding transformer tanks and surge arresters
  • Grounding wood and metal structures
  • Use of line terminal grounding switches
  • Lightning protection (shielding) 

 

SESSION 5: SUBSTATION LOW-VOLTAGE GROUNDING CONSIDERATIONS

  • Grounding for substation DC circuits and batteries
  • Grounding auxiliary power circuits
  • Current transformer (CT) and voltage transformer (VT) grounding
  • Communication circuit grounding
  • Equipment enclosure grounding

 

SESSION 6: GROUND GRID DESIGN FOR SUBSTATIONS 

  • Determining maximum fault current available
  • Exposure Voltage Calculations for Switchyards
  • Soil resistivity
  • Measuring soil resistivity
  • Selection of the Right Connector
  • Horizontal Grid Design IEEE STD 80
  • Introduction to 2-Layer Soil Model
  • Vertical Rods Connected by a Grid
  • Insulating rock layer
  • Ground Potential Rise (GPR)
  • Touch and Step Potential
  • Transferred Potential
  • Limiting step potentials
  • Limiting touch potentials
  • Temporary Grounding   

 

DAY TWO


SESSION 7: SUBSTATION GROUND GRID TESTING

  • Ground grid corrosion
  • Measuring ground rod resistance
  • Measuring substation grid resistance
  • Equipment for ground grid verification
  • Finding and repairing deteriorated ground connections

 

SESSION 8: SOFTWARE-AIDED DESIGN FOR SUBSTATION GROUND GRID SYSTEMS

  • IEEE 80 calculations
  • Input parameters needed
  • Using software (WinIGS) for ground grid design
  • Impacts of reducing or increasing grid dimensions
  • Impacts of adding ground rods / ground wells
  • Optimizing designs for safety and cost

 

SESSION 9: ELECTRICAL HAZARDS FOR SUBSTATION WORKERS

  • Effect of current on a person from AC & DC Currents (IEEE 524a, IEEE 1048)
  • Step and touch potentials
  • Electric fields (capacitive coupling)
  • Magnetic fields (inductive coupling)
  • Preventing shock through isolation, insulation, equipment bonding
  • Protection against inadvertent energization through Personal Protective Grounds (PPG)
  • Arc flash hazards 


SESSION 10: PERSONAL PROTECTIVE GROUNDS (PPG)

  • Use of PPG and procedures
  • Single-point grounding compared to bracket grounding
  • Sizing for PPG cables and PPG cable types
  • PPG clamps – type, class, and grade (ASTM 855)
  • PPG for various applications (busbar, wires, underground cables, switches, etc)
  • Paralleling PPG
  • Procedures for applying PPG
  • Grounding capacitors and cables
  • Grounding vehicles
  • Testing PPG

 

SESSION 11: SWITCHYARD AND SUBSTATION PROTECTIVE GROUNDING      

  • General Considerations for Placement of Protective Grounds
  • Power Circuit Breakers and Transformers
  • Disconnect Switches and Bus
  • Insulated High Voltage Cable
  • Cable Terminations
  • Midsections and Splices
  • Grounding Transformers and Phase Reactors
  • Capacitor Banks  


SESSION 12: TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN PROTECTIVE GROUNDING IN SUBSTATIONS AND SWITCHYARDS     

  • Substation Grounding System
  • Typical Shock Situations - Conditions of Danger
  • Structure Touch
  • Electric Circuit for Switch Operator Sources of Hazardous Current on De-energized Equipment
  • Grounding and Jumpering Requirements
  • IEE Std 80   

 

Review of expectations
Questions and Answers

 

COURSE TIMETABLE

Both days:
Start: 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time
Finish: 4:30 p.m.

 

 

Live Online Course Registration Fees & CEU Credits

The registration fee to attend this live online training course is $699 + GST/HST.

Click Here to download a $100 discount coupon that you can apply toward the regular registration fee and pay only $599 + GST/HST

Register 3 delegates at full price $699, and get a 4th registration FREE!

EARN CONTINUING EDUCATION UNIT (CEU) CREDITS

EIC

Successful completion of this course qualifies delegates to receive a certificate of course completion with indicated CEUs.

CEUs are granted by the Engineering Institute of Canada. One CEU is equivalent to 10 professional development hours of instruction.

This course earns 1.2 CEUs.