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Advanced Grounding System Design for Substations

Advanced Grounding System Design for Substations

June 23, 2026 Online :: Central Time

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Electric system failures can occur in and outside of substations that put people, assets, and system reliability at risk. This online course covers the development and philosophy of IEEE Standard 80-2013, IEEE Guide for Safety in AC Substation Grounding standards and field-proven design techniques to help you design, analyze, and upgrade grounding systems with confidence based on soil conditions, substation size, or complexity.

The course examines the full lifecycle of grounding design including grounding design criteria, soil resistivity and system configurations, step and touch voltage analysis, grounding challenges and mitigation techniques, and interaction of grounding systems.

Register now to gain practical, advanced grounding expertise you can apply immediately to real-time substation projects.

Learning Outcomes

  • Design substation grounding systems by applying grounding principles aligned with IEEE and utility best practices
  • Review soil resistivity data collection and evaluation and impact of seasonal variations
  • Discover variables that can affect the design and construction cost of the grounding system
  • Assess step and touch voltage hazards and implement proven mitigation techniques to meet safety criteria under fault conditions
  • Examine the effect of a ground fault beyond the substation fence
  • Become familiar with grounding analysis software to better understand modeling assumptions, limitations, and simulation results
  • Review substation grounding system testing
  • Analyze the interaction of grounding systems on substation ground grid design

Register

Please Note: This event is being conducted entirely online. All attendees will connect and attend from their computer, one connection per purchase. For details please see our FAQ

If you are unable to attend at the scheduled date and time, we make recordings available to all attendees for 7 days after the event

REGISTER NOW FOR THIS EVENT:

Individual attendee(s)$ 995.00 each(early bird rate)
(price after June 12, 2026 is $ 1,095.00)
Volume pricing also available

Individual attendee tickets can be mixed with ticket packs for complete flexibility
Pack of 5 attendees$ 4,230.00 (15% discount)(early bird rate)
(price after June 12, 2026 is $ 4,655.00)
Pack of 10 attendees$ 7,960.00 (20% discount)(early bird rate)
(price after June 12, 2026 is $ 8,760.00)
Pack of 20 attendees$ 14,925.00 (25% discount)(early bird rate)
(price after June 12, 2026 is $ 16,425.00)

Your registration may be transferred to a member of your organization up to 24 hours in advance of the event. Cancellations must be received on or before May 22, 2026 in order to be refunded and will be subject to a US $195.00 processing fee per registrant. No refunds will be made after this date. Cancellations received after this date will create a credit of the tuition (less processing fee) good toward any other EUCI event. This credit will be good for six months from the cancellation date. In the event of non-attendance, all registration fees will be forfeited. In case of conference cancellation, EUCIs liability is limited to refund of the event registration fee only. For more information regarding administrative policies, such as complaints and refunds, please contact our offices at 303-770-8800

Agenda

Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Central Time

Online

Log In & Welcome

8:45 AM

Lunch Break

12:00 - 1:00 PM

Adjourn for the day

5:00 PM

8:45 AM - 9:00 AM

Log In & Welcome

9:00 - 9:30 AM

Grounding Overview

  • Review of grounding fundamentals (brief, advanced-focused)
  • Why grounding failures still occur in modern substations
  • Safety, reliability, and regulatory implications
9:30 - 10:30 AM

Grounding Design Criteria & Standards

  • Key grounding performance objectives
  • Review of relevant standards and guidelines:
    • IEEE 80 (conceptual focus)
    • IEC grounding principles
    • Utility-specific practices
  • Fault current assumptions and clearing times
  • Human safety criteria (step & touch voltages)
10:30 - 10:45 AM

Morning Break

10:45 AM - 12:00 PM

Soil Resistivity & Site Characterization

  • Soil resistivity measurement methods (Wenner, Schlumberger)
  • Interpreting multi-layer soil models
  • Seasonal variation and moisture effects
  • Impact of surface resistivity and crushed rock layers
  • Designing for poor or variable soil conditions
12:00 - 1:00 PM

Lunch Break

1:00 - 2:00 PM

Advanced Grounding Grid Design Techniques

  • Ground grid geometry optimization
  • Conductor sizing and material selection
  • Ground rods vs. deep-driven electrodes
  • Use of counterpoise and horizontal conductors
  • Grounding for:
    • AIS vs. GIS substations
    • Large EHV substations
    • Compact and urban substations
2:00 - 3:00 PM

Step & Touch Voltage Analysis

  • Mechanisms of step and touch voltage
  • Calculation methodologies (conceptual and practical)
  • Effect of:
    • Fault location
    • Surface resistivity
    • Equipment layout
  • Mitigation techniques:
    • Additional conductors
    • Ground mats
    • Surface treatment improvements
3:00 - 3:15 PM

Afternoon Break

3:15 - 4:15 PM

Special Grounding Challenges & Solutions

  • High-resistivity soil environments
  • Rocky, mountainous, or desert locations
  • Grounding near pipelines, rails, and metallic structures
  • Transferred potentials and fence grounding
  • Integration with lightning protection systems
4:15 - 5:00 PM

Grounding Analysis Tools & Case Studies

  • Overview of grounding analysis software tools
  • Modeling assumptions and limitations
  • Interpreting simulation results
  • Grounding system testing methods
  • Commissioning best practices
  • Ongoing inspection and maintenance
  • Aging infrastructure and corrosion issues
  • When and how to upgrade existing grounding systems

Instructor

Richard P Keil

Chair of the IEEE Std 80 Working Group and substation expert

Commonwealth Associates

Richard P Keil received a BS and MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Dayton in 1966 and 1973. Rich began his professional career in 1967 at the Dayton Power and Light Company and retired 34 years later as Manager, Design Engineering, responsible for substation and transmission engineering. Rich’s experience at Dayton Power and Light Company included substation design, project and construction management and support, construction/outage scheduling. equipment failure analysis, and emergency response. He also served as a member of the ECAR Electric Equipment Panel.

After his retirement from Dayton Power and Light, Rich joined Commonwealth Associates, Inc., a full-service utility consulting firm headquartered in Jackson, Michigan, and has spent 25 years mentoring other engineers as a subject matter expert with an emphasis on grounding and lightning protection.

 Rich Keil has been a member of the IEEE PES Substations Committee since 1976 and member of the working groups responsible for standards and guides for substation safety, direct stroke lightning protection, bus design, grounding connectors, and ground testing. He has been a member of the IEEE working group responsible for substation grounding guide IEEE-80 since 1976 and chair since 1986. Mr. Keil also is the past chair of the IEEE Substations Committee Transmission and Distribution Substations Design Subcommittee (2009-2015).

Mr. Keil has authored chapters on substation grounding design based on IEEE-80 for two substation design books. Mr. Keil has been a member of IEEE since 1967 and became a Senior member in 1984. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Ohio.

Continuing Education Credits

IACET

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EUCI is accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and offers IACET CEUs for its learning events that comply with the ANSI/IACET Continuing Education and Training Standard. IACET is recognized internationally as a standard development organization and accrediting body that promotes quality of continuing education and training.

EUCI is authorized by IACET to offer 0.7 CEUs for this event

Verify our IACET accreditation

 

Who recognizes IACET Credits?

Requirements for Successful Completion of Program

Participants must log in each day and be in attendance for the entirety of the course to be eligible for continuing education credit.  

 

Instructional Methods

PowerPoint presentations, along with open and interactive group discussions, will be used during the course.  

CPE

Upon successful completion of this event, program participants interested in receiving CPE credits will receive a certificate of completion.

Course CPE Credits: 7.5
There is no prerequisite for this Course.
Program field of study: Specialized Knowledge
Program Level: Basic
Delivery Method: Group Internet Based
Advanced Preparation: None

CpeEUCI is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org

CLE

Only registered attendees can request CLE credits for an EUCI course/event. Please email [email protected] prior to the course start date and list the state where you are licensed and your bar# as well as the name and date of your course/event in your request, and someone will be in contact.

CLE

Only registered attendees can request CLE credits for an EUCI course/event. Please email [email protected] prior to the course start date and list the state where you are licensed and your bar# as well as the name and date of your course/event in your request, and someone will be in contact.

Who Should Attend

  • Substation design engineers
  • Power systems & electrical design engineers
  • Protection & control engineers
  • Utility engineers and technical specialists
  • EPC engineers and consultants
  • Electrical safety professionals