A looped 12,470-volt feed from two substations is the kind of infrastructure that one north Albuquerque business park campus lists as a selling point, and it shows what industrial users in this metro care about: power that is large, redundant and dependable. Getting that power from the utility's point of service to your switchgear is the work of the underground electrical package, and it is built once, buried, and expected to run without attention for the life of the building.
We build the duct banks, conduit runs, manholes, handholes, pull boxes, transformer pads and underground feeders that make up that package. On many industrial projects the electrical underground is both the longest-lead and the least forgiving item on the site: conduit routes cross every other utility, the trench is deep, the concrete envelope has to be right the first time and the energization date is set by someone else's schedule.
That is why we run this scope as a coordinated package instead of leaving it to the end of the utility sequence. Early layout, early procurement and early inspection are what keep it from becoming the reason a finished building sits dark.
Duct banks are concrete work in a trench, and we treat them like it. Our trade partners excavate, set spacers, place conduit to line and grade, tie rebar where the design calls for it, pour the concrete envelope and backfill in controlled lifts. Managing this work lets us align the trench with the rest of the underground at the moment it matters, rather than correcting a conflict after the pour.
Conduit installation is precise. Bends, couplings and joint sealing are done with the pulling tension in mind, and every run is proved with a mandrel and a rope or tape before the concrete is placed. Spare ducts are marked and capped for future use, a small cost that is worth a great deal when a plant adds a line.
The package covers primary conduits from the utility's point of connection, transformer pads and bollards, secondary duct banks to the main switchgear, routes to remote buildings, yard lighting circuits, communications and security conduit and the manholes and pull boxes that make the system serviceable. For larger sites it also includes grounding, with ground rods and bonded cable where the design requires it.
The scope sits next to our site utilities package. Conduit routes, trench separations and utility crossings are drawn together, so that the sewer, water, fire and power systems all fit within the corridor the site actually has. Commissioning of the system, including megger tests and energization checks, is described under commissioning and turnover.
Electrical installations in New Mexico follow the 2020 New Mexico Electrical Code (14.10.4 NMAC), which adopts the 2020 National Electrical Code as amended and took effect March 28, 2023. Underground installations have their own requirements: burial depth, concrete encasement, separation, bend limits, marking tape and the rules for conduits entering buildings and manholes. The utility sets its own specifications on top of the code for the portion it owns.
Inspections are staged. The inspector will usually look at the open trench with conduit in place before concrete or backfill, and again at termination. We schedule those inspections ahead of the pour so that a delay does not leave a trench open. Permits and licenses for the electrical work are held by the appropriately licensed contractor of record.
Large new loads change the conversation with the utility. A rail-served industrial park near Belen is marketed with initial power of up to 170 MW within 12 to 18 months pending permits, and it sits adjacent to a power generation station. Those numbers show the scale of load being marketed in the region. Even for a plant with far smaller demand, the process is similar: load study, service application, utility design, easements, construction and energization, each with its own lead time.
We help owners by assembling accurate load data, drawing the route early and building the underground in the order the utility needs. For data center owners, where the power requirement can set the project schedule, we bring in our long-lead procurement management so that gear, conduit and pads arrive when the trench is ready for them.
The electrical underground has to be placed after rough grading and before paving, and it has to be coordinated with every other buried system. We lay out the full utility corridor on one plan, start with the deepest, most gravity-dependent lines and finish with the shallow ones. Power conduit typically goes in after storm drain and sewer, and before final subgrade and base.
Weather is a factor. Concrete placement in the heat or in a cold snap needs protection and curing plans, and rain can flood an open trench. We pour in sections that can be finished and backfilled within a working window, and we do not leave a trench open overnight where a storm could fill it.
Share the expected load, the point of service and your energization date and we will lay out the underground route, the long-lead items and the inspection sequence. For power-hungry projects near the Belen rail corridor, the conversation starts with the utility.
Encasement protects conduits from heavy loads, shifts in the soil and accidental digging, and it keeps spacing fixed so cables can be pulled and later replaced. For industrial yards with truck traffic it is the standard approach. In lighter-duty areas, directly buried conduit may be acceptable if the design allows.
More than you think you need. The trench is the expensive part and the extra conduit is cheap. Many owners reserve a meaningful share of spare ducts or earmark specific future lines. We can price options so you can decide with real numbers.
Yes. Trenching near live feeders requires potholing, hand digging near existing lines, and sometimes shutdowns. We plan each crossing and each tie-in with your maintenance staff. Our approach to phased construction at occupied sites covers how we handle shutdown windows.
Most often, the utility's design and equipment lead times, late site plans that change routes, and conflicts discovered in the field. We address the first by applying early, the second by freezing the site layout before trenching and the third by coordinating all buried utilities on one drawing.
We prove each conduit run, pressure or mandrel test where specified, inspect before concrete, and test cables after installation by the electrical contractor. Records are included in the closeout documents, along with surveyed locations of manholes and duct bank routes.
Tell us about the property, the building and the schedule.
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