The Gardenville Substation Project stands as one of O’Connell Electric’s most ambitious and high-profile substation projects to date. Serving as the prime contractor, O’Connell led the complete rebuild of a 115kV transmission station that plays a critical role in powering approximately one-third of the Buffalo metropolitan area—including major industrial clients such as Ford and Tesla.
The scope of work included full site development with environmental controls, extensive site work, and the installation of approximately 500 foundations and 38 large-diameter caissons for transmission line structures. A new control building was constructed, and the electrical scope encompassed the full build-out of a 14-bay breaker-and-a-half station, AC/DC station service, 200 relay/control panels, associated cabling and terminations, as well as testing, commissioning, and the relocation and demolition of existing substation and transmission infrastructure.
Despite the project’s complexity, it was completed six months ahead of schedule with zero safety incidents, accumulating over 80,000 man-hours of labor. The project team received multiple commendations for their commitment to safety and quality, including recognition from senior National Grid executives during site visits.
In recognition of its excellence in execution, the Gardenville Substation Project was honored with the NECA Project Excellence Award in the Substation category, marking O’Connell’s third consecutive win.