The choice mainly depends on construction schedule, land cost, capacity demand and project nature. Box-type substations have obvious advantages in most terminal distribution and temporary power supply scenarios.
- Construction schedule difference
- Box-type substation: Fully prefabricated, wired and tested in the factory. On-site work only includes foundation construction, hoisting, cabling and grounding. The whole process from order to commissioning takes only 4–6 weeks, reducing on-site construction by 80%.
- Civil substation: Requires civil construction (building, cable trench, foundation), equipment procurement and on-site installation, with a cycle of 3–6 months or even longer for large stations.
- Land & space cost difference Box-type substations occupy only 20%–30% of the land area of civil substations of the same capacity, and do not require a separate distribution room. They greatly save land and civil construction costs, especially suitable for urban areas with tight land resources.
- Suitable scenarios for box-type substations
- Terminal distribution for residential areas, business parks and municipal projects
- Grid connection for photovoltaic, wind power and other new energy projects
- Temporary power supply for construction sites, mines and oilfields — relocatable and reusable after the project
- Urban power grid renovation where there is no space for a new distribution room
- Suitable scenarios for civil substations
- Large-capacity main substations above 35kV
- Regional distribution centers with very high short-circuit capacity and complex configurations
- Large substations with a large number of auxiliary equipment and control rooms
We supply both European-style and American-style box substations with capacities from 100kVA to 2500kVA, configurable with RMU or breaker cabinets and dry-type or oil-immersed transformers.