Automated constructability assessment of energy network designs
Léon olde Scholtenhuis
Organisation || Siers Infraconsult B.V.
Project type || M.Sc. Thesis
Candidate || Luc Roetenberg
Project duration || March 2025 – September 2025
The existing power grid in The Netherlands needs to be upgraded and expanded as a result of the energy transition. This situation has led to high demand for work in the subsurface utility (SU) sector, and has put additional pressure and workload on utility contractors. At the same time, it is difficult to find enough skilled workers. As a result, there is more demand for work in the SU sector than contractors are able to supply, forcing them to work more efficiently.
Constructability of energy networks is influenced by various physical factors, which are not always systematically considered, nor modelled in information systems. This study aims to make an inventory of the data needs and rules required to (semi)automate the constructability assessment.
To expand the network as quickly and efficiently as possible, grid operators are using a relatively new strategy known as the neighbourhood-focused approach (buurtaanpak in Dutch) where the network of an entire district is upgraded and expanded within short timeframes. Additionally, the use of Design-Construct contracts has led to contractors being responsible for both the engineering and construction phases of a project.
It is therefore important for contractors to consider the constructability of their designs in order to prevent problems and delays during the construction phase as much as possible. To ensure constructability, it is essential to incorporate knowledge and requirements from the construction phase early on in the engineering phase. However, in practice, constructability is often applied in an implicit way, primarily based on the individual knowledge and experience of engineers. This can lead to inconsistent results.
Therefore, the first part of this research focuses on making constructability requirements explicit for low-voltage projects. Through semi-structured interviews, this research attempts to specify what constructability means, and which factors influence it in low-voltage projects. In the second part, these insights are translated into a tool within a Geographic Information System (GIS). The ultimate goal is that this tool can be used in early engineering stages to conduct an initial constructability assessment of early network designs, without requiring extensive construction knowledge.