EVOLVE On-Demand: Design Throughput Is an Interconnection Timeline Problem

Everyone knows the interconnection queue is backed up. What gets less attention is the substation design bottleneck running in parallel.

Every project in the queue needs at least one substation. The design cycle from early concept through permitting to construction-ready drawings adds months to a timeline already measured in years. And when traditional 2D workflows trigger rework across civil, mechanical, and electrical disciplines, projects re-enter the queue process from the back, not the middle.

At EVOLVE 2026, Al Eliasen (President and CEO, SBS) makes the case for why design throughput is as much of a constraint as regulatory process, and shows what collaborative 3D design and AI-powered planning can do to that timeline when applied at the workflow level.

What you will learn:

• Why substation design rework is a direct contributor to interconnection delays, not just a cost problem
• How moving from 2D to collaborative 3D design using a BIM-inspired unified model eliminates the inconsistencies that cause rework
• How AI is automating substation proposals, permitting documentation, and interconnect studies to free engineers for higher-value work
• How LiDAR is being used for brownfield projects to digitize and expand existing infrastructure without starting from scratch
• How utilities are building engineering throughput capacity against a backdrop of 30% load growth and a shrinking pool of experienced electrical engineers