Distribution Warehouse

Project at a glance

Scope delivered

• Utility coordination & MV service. 15kV class primary service from CPS Energy, pad-mount switchgear with primary metering, and a 3,000kVA service transformer. 4,000A service entrance at 480V with 25% load growth headroom dedicated to EV charging buildout.
• Distribution. Main switchboard, 12 distribution panelboards across the warehouse floor and support spaces, and feeder runs in cable tray throughout. Eaton Magnum DS drawout breakers on the main switchboard; Pow-R-Way busway feeding distribution panels in the cross-dock zones.
• Conveyor & ASRS power. Power distribution feeding the ASRS integrator equipment in the back half of the building, with scope split coordinated during preconstruction (we provided power to integrator-designated disconnect points; integrator handled equipment-side wiring). Distributed MCCs for the 14 conveyor zones, each with VFDs (Allen-Bradley PowerFlex) on conveyor drives. PLC interfaces to the WMS handled by the integrator with coordination on tag mapping.
• High-bay lighting. LED high-bay luminaires across the warehouse floor at 32’ mounting height, sized for 30 fc average at floor per IES warehouse recommendations. Networked controls with occupancy sensing, daylight harvesting at the skylights, and zone scheduling. ASHRAE 90.1 and IECC 2021 lighting power density compliance.
• Dock door power. 142 dock doors with leveler, vehicle restraint, and dock light power. 24 dock positions wired for refrigerated trailer plug-in (480V 3-phase) supporting cold-chain pass-through.
• EV charging infrastructure. 30 Level 2 chargers in the employee parking field plus 4 DC fast chargers at the truck yard for Class 8 truck pilots. CCS1 and NACS connectors with adapter compatibility. Service entrance sized for staged buildout to 60 chargers in year 3 per the owner’s fleet electrification plan.
• BMS integration. BMS interfaces to HVAC, dock door interlocks, lighting control, and ATS status. BACnet IP integration through the BMS contractor.
• Fire alarm & life safety. Fire alarm power circuits coordinated with the ESFR sprinkler protection contractor, emergency lighting per NFPA 101, exit signage, and a 500kW diesel generator with ATS sized for life-safety plus dock operations.

The challenge

The operator had a hard 12-month lease commitment driving energization. The aggressive schedule didn’t leave room for the typical procure-during-CD sequence on long-lead electrical equipment. CPS Energy primary service required coordination with the utility transmission planning group, and the ASRS integrator’s scope had specific power requirements that needed to land at exact disconnect locations.

We engaged CPS Energy at the start of design development, well ahead of permit. Long-lead switchgear and the service transformer were released during DD. ASRS integrator coordination ran in parallel with construction documents — we built distributed MCC locations to match the integrator’s equipment layout, instead of forcing the integrator to design around generic electrical scope.

The outcome

Energization completed on schedule. ASRS integrator commissioning began on the contracted date. The operator’s fulfillment operations launched on time. Year-one EV charging buildout proceeded without service-entrance upsizing, validating the original load study.