Power Generation
Lifecycle electrical support. One accountable team.
to work inside live generation plants.
Electrical systems engineered
Auxiliary power, MCCs, switchgear, station service, and integrated civil-structural that’s engineered and installed inside thermal, hydro, cogen, and IPP plants, with the outage coordination that keeps production on schedule.
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Auxiliary power and station service design
Design and installation of auxiliary power and station service for thermal, hydro, cogen, and IPP plants.
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LV/MV electrical packages engineered as one
MCCs, switchgear, transformers, and control buildings delivered as integrated design-and-install work packages.
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Protection coordination and arc flash studies
Plant-side protection coordination, arc flash analysis to CSA Z462 and IEEE 1584, and grounding studies.
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Cable, voltage drop, and equipment sizing
Cable sizing, voltage drop, equipment sizing, and procurement specifications for major and long-lead equipment.
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Civil and structural integrated with electrical
Civil and structural engineering integrated with the electrical scope: foundations, grading, drainage, and steel structures.
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Disciplined execution inside live operating plants
Work executed inside live plants with disciplined outage coordination, shift coverage, and zero tolerance for unplanned downtime.
through 500 kV
Substation EPC from 25 kV
Greenfield and brownfield builds, engineering, construction, switchgear, transformers, P&C buildings, and SCADA, all under one accountable team.
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Standards-aligned substation engineering design
Substation engineering to IEEE C37 and IEC 62271 for utility, industrial, and generation interconnection scopes.
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Full substation construction, end-to-end build
Pads, access roads, foundations, steel, transformer and switchgear install, control buildings, IEEE 80 grounding, telecom.
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HV breaker and switchyard upgrade execution
HV breaker, CT, VT, switch, arrester, and busbar work at 138 kV, 240 kV, and 245 kV.
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Custom MV switchgear and modular E-houses
Custom MV switchgear extensions and control buildings from Spark’s CSA/UL-certified panel shops in Calgary, Hamilton, and Fresno.
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MV/HV equipment and reconditioning
Self-supplied transformers (1000–3000 kVA, 4160–44000 V primary), arresters, switches, fuses, and E-houses.
study to energization
Grid interconnection —
Spark owns grid interconnection from system studies through physical execution.
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Interconnection system studies for utilities
Load flow, short-circuit, protective coordination, harmonics, and EMT studies sized for the utility’s specific interconnection requirements.
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Applications, ESA packages, and approvals
ESA package preparation, utility applications, and regulatory documentation engineered for first-submission approval.
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Interconnection protection and control design
Protection and control philosophy, IED programming, and interconnection-specific relay settings written for the connecting utility.
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Direct utility and ISO operator coordination
Direct coordination with utility transmission operators and Independent System Operators including IESO, AESO, and ERCOT.
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OFE management and substitution risk control
Owner-furnished equipment management with substitution risk held by Spark through formal technical review, not transferred to the Owner.
and SCADA.
Protection, controls
Protection philosophy, design, programming, IEC 61850 integration, telecom and teleprotection, and IED programming, all under one team. Including generator protection and bus differential schemes engineered for thermal, cogen, and IPP.
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Traditional and digital P&C, vendor-neutral
Traditional and digital substation protection design to IEC 61850, vendor-neutral throughout the design and integration.
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Generator protection and bus differential schemes
Generator protection, breaker failure schemes, and bus differential protection engineered for thermal, cogen, and IPP assets.
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AC/DC schematics and panel layout design
AC/DC schematics, control drawings, and panel layouts engineered to utility build standards and factory-tested before shipment.
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Relay setting development and modernization
Relay setting development, coordination, and modernization, carried from design through commissioning by the same team.
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SCADA across substation, BESS, and solar
Substation, BESS, and Solar SCADA. IEC 61850 and DNP protocol integration under one accountable engineering team.
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Telecom, teleprotection, and OPGW fibre lines
Telecom and teleprotection systems, MPLS networks, and fibre OPGW for substation and grid communications.
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IED programming, HMI design, and integration
IED programming, HMI design, and integration with utility EMS, standalone or paired with our P&C engineering.
maintenance teams.
Outage-ready, audit-ready
Outage windows are short and unforgiving — Spark mobilizes within 24 to 72 hours with audit-ready documentation aligned to NERC PRC-005, NETA ATS/MTS, and utility standards.
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Annual and multi-year maintenance contracts
Annual and multi-year maintenance contracts for substations, switchgear, transformers, and generator step-ups.
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Planned outage scoping and disciplined execution
Planned outage scope development, scheduling, and execution within compressed utility outage windows.
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Predictive diagnostics across plant equipment
Insulation resistance, transformer oil diagnostics, breaker timing, thermography, and partial discharge surveys.
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Primary and secondary injection and relay testing
Primary and secondary injection testing, relay testing, full protection scheme verification.
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Storm and emergency response mobilization
24 to 72 hour mobilization for storm and emergency response from 16+ regional offices across Canada and the U.S.
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Audit-ready documentation aligned to NERC PRC-005
Documentation packages aligned with NERC PRC-005, NETA ATS/MTS, NFPA 70B, and utility-specific standards.
& backup power.
BESS
For behind-the-meter and grid-connected storage, engineered, energized, and operated by the same team.
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Full BESS EPC under one accountable team
Custom technical and field engineering, OEM-direct procurement, civil and electrical install, field testing, and commissioning.
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Cold and hot BESS commissioning sequences
Cold commissioning, PCS power-up (AC then DC), grid sync, OV/UV and frequency ride-through, and BMS/EMS integration.
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Major BESS OEM commissioning and warranty
Experience with all major BESS OEMs, to bring systems online and resolve issues throughout the warranty period.
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Backup generation integration with SCADA
Backup generation tied into site SCADA and protection schemes for seamless transfer and zero-impact testing.
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Long-term BESS O&M and inverter agreements
Long-term O&M for BESS, inverters, and the electrical balance of plant.
field-tested.
Asset management,
Owner’s engineering, performance assessment, upgrade evaluation, lifecycle planning, and technical due diligence anchored in the field projects Spark has engineered, built, and commissioned across thermal, hydro, cogen, and IPP.
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Owner’s engineering across the asset lifecycle
Feasibility, specifications, bid evaluation, design review, QA/QC, and commissioning oversight on behalf of asset owners.
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Performance assessments and upgrade evaluations
Asset performance assessments and upgrade evaluations for thermal, hydro, cogen, and IPP fleets.
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Lifecycle and capital replacement planning
Lifecycle planning, capital replacement scheduling, and obsolescence management for utility and IPP portfolios.
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Technical due diligence for transactions
Technical due diligence for asset acquisition or divestiture — engineering credibility for transaction teams.
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Long-term maintenance program design and risk
Long-term maintenance program design — preventive, predictive, and condition-based — sized to fleet risk.
coast to coast.
Acceptance testing
Acceptance testing, predictive maintenance, transformer diagnostics, primary and secondary injection, thermography, and full commissioning protocols across all 50 U.S. states and Canada.
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ATS acceptance testing for utilities
Acceptance testing to NETA ATS standards for new and refurbished utility substation and distribution equipment.
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MTS predictive and preventive maintenance
Predictive and preventive maintenance to NETA MTS standards across utility transmission and distribution fleets.
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Breaker and primary/secondary injection testing
Low-, medium-, and high-voltage breaker testing with primary and secondary injection.
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Transformer diagnostics and oil analysis
Oil analysis, DGA, insulation resistance, power factor, and sweep frequency response on critical transformers.
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Thermography surveys and power quality monitoring
Thermography, power quality monitoring, corona studies, partial discharge analysis.
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Audit-ready documentation aligned to PRC-005
Audit-ready documentation aligned with NERC PRC-005 in compressed outage windows; 24 to 72 hour mobilization.
City of Medicine Hat
Replacement of aging 69 kV generation substation infrastructure for the City of Medicine Hat — breakers, CTs, PTs, and disconnects swapped while keeping the substation operational.
AltaLink Windrise Windy Flats Substation Upgrade
High-voltage substation upgrade including a 400 MVA autotransformer, protection system modernization, and full SCADA integration in Fort Macleod, AB.
AltaLink Duchess Substation Upgrade and DER Integration
Modernized AltaLink’s Duchess Substation with full 138kV protection and switching upgrades, SCADA enhancements, and new telecom infrastructure to enable DER integration.
AltaLink Abee Pump Substation Expansion and Transformer Upgrade
Expanded and upgraded AltaLink’s Abee Pump Substation with a new 25 MVA transformer, HV breaker replacement, and full protection and SCADA commissioning.
Real questions,
real answers
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Yes. Spark delivers greenfield and brownfield substation EPC from 25 kV through 500 kV. Hyperscale data center substations and renewable interconnections are routine.
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Outage scopes are planned with utility transmission operators, with detailed pre-outage walkdowns, switching plans, and commissioning sequences. Audit-ready documentation aligned with NERC PRC-005 is delivered within compressed outage windows.
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Spark Testing (Canada and U.S.) is NETA-accredited and performs acceptance testing, predictive maintenance, breaker and relay testing, transformer diagnostics, and full commissioning protocols.
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Within 24 to 72 hours for emergency response, dispatched from 16+ regional offices across Canada and the U.S.
Let’s talk power
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