Design Management and Commissioning of a 33kV Substation Upgrade at Makurdi, Benue State

This study documents and analyses the design management and commissioning processes for the upgrade of a 33kV distribution substation at Makurdi, Benue State, North Central Nigeria, providing a reference case for substation upgrade project management in the Nigerian distribution sector. The Makurdi Main substation serves as the primary supply point for commercial and government loads in the state capital, and its ageing 33kV switchgear and transformer assets were identified for replacement under an Abuja Electricity Distribution Company network investment programme. The study reviews the design management workflow from feasibility study through detailed engineering, tender preparation, contractor selection, and construction supervision. Design deliverables examined include single-line diagrams, equipment specifications, protection settings calculations, earthing design, and civil works drawings. Commissioning management is evaluated against a structured commissioning programme covering factory acceptance testing, site acceptance testing, relay settings verification, protection injection testing, and energisation sequence documentation. Key challenges encountered during the project include delays in obtaining right-of-way for the 33kV interconnection cable route through Makurdi urban areas, equipment substitution requirements when the originally specified circuit breakers became unavailable, and coordination of outage windows with the existing supply arrangement to minimise customer interruption duration. The substation was successfully commissioned with all protection systems functioning correctly and a maximum single continuous customer outage of six hours during the final cutover. Recommendations address substation design standard harmonisation across AEDC's service territory. Keywords: substation upgrade, design management, commissioning, 33kV, Makurdi.