Project Details
Services
EPC Management
General Contracting
Procurement
Below Grade Civil Construction
Deep Foundations
Cast-In-Place Concrete
Site Grounding
Demolition
Grading and Fencing
Project Team
Private Owner (Wind Farm Developer)
Wendler Inc. (EPC Contractor)
Stanley Consultants (Engineering)
Multiple Specialty Electrical and Civil Subcontractors
Delivery
Construction Cost: $16,800,000
Completion Date: 2020
When a renewable energy developer needed to connect a new Iowa wind farm to the regional transmission grid, they PICKED Wendler to deliver 345kV collector and interconnect substationS on an EPC basis.
The project addressed a clear need: new wind generation coming online in Iowa County had no path to the grid without a substation built to step up and aggregate the energy produced. The completed facility now collects power from the farm’s turbines and interconnects it with the existing high-voltage transmission system, expanding renewable capacity in East Central Iowa.
Wendler’s scope covered the full EPC delivery, including engineering coordination with Stanley Consultants, procurement of major equipment, and self-performed civil construction. The team executed below-grade utilities, deep shaft foundations, cast-in-place concrete, site grounding, grading, fencing, and demolition. A defining technical feature was the deep shaft foundation system, engineered to support the substation’s heavy structural and electrical loads under Iowa’s variable soil and weather conditions.
The schedule was the project’s defining challenge. Engineering, procurement, and construction were sequenced in parallel rather than in series to meet the developer’s interconnection deadline, which left no float for long-lead equipment delays. Then came COVID-19. Construction overlapped with the early pandemic, bringing supply chain disruption, vendor shutdowns, and shifting jobsite protocols.
Wendler’s team managed long-lead procurement aggressively, kept communication tight between engineering and field crews, and adjusted sequencing in real time to keep the critical path moving.
The two substations were energized on time. The completed facility expanded the grid’s ability to collect and distribute wind power in Iowa, and supports continued renewable energy development in the region. The project demonstrates Wendler’s ability to deliver complex high-voltage EPC work under compressed schedules and external disruption—without compromising safety, quality, or the energization date.
