INEIGHT CASE STUDY:
KIEWIT
FIRST-OF-A-KIND OFFSHORE PROJECT
In recent years, the American power sector has experienced a significant increase in renewable opportunities. Solar and battery storage are on the rise; onshore wind farms are more common than ever before. But offshore wind has yet to experience a similar lift in feasibility and popularity, owing largely to the complexity of the work. Offshore adoption in the U.S. has been hampered by lengthy materials waitlists, lack of access to specialized equipment more common in Europe and China, the need for assembly on the ocean, and the miles of cables run across the ocean floor. With complex regulatory and political hurdles, dozens of stakeholders, and multibillion-dollar price tags, offshore wind projects demand extraordinary collaboration and coordination across multiple years.
Through its combination of workforce capabilities, renewable expertise, and next-generation technologies, Kiewit won the contract to engineer, procure, construct, and commission South Fork’s offshore electrical substation. Leveraging its nation-wide network of vendors, Kiewit made the 132-megawatt asset a reality—starting in Ingleside, Texas. At its 555-acre fabrication yard, the North American construction leader built the substation domestically before shipping the complete unit across the Gulf of Mexico and up the East Coast for final hook-up, commissioning, and testing. Today, the completed substation sits atop a monopile foundation off the coast of Rhode Island where it collects and stabilizes turbine-generated power before distributing that electricity onshore in New York.
“InEight is our go-to construction management solution at Kiewit. It’s a one-stop-shop that allows us to handle every aspect of our projects, from planning to delivery, all in one system.”
-Matthew Beemer, Kiewit Power Delivery
South Fork Wind is a 132 megawatt offshore electrical substation
At completion South Fork Wind produced over 4,000 checklists
At completion South Fork Wind produced over 2,100 punch lists
CLEAN, EASY PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Kiewit Power Delivery Procurement Manager Matthew Beemer played a key role in the organization and execution of the South Fork substation. “InEight is our go-to construction management solution at Kiewit,” he explains. “It’s a one-stop-shop that allows us to handle every aspect of our projects, from planning to delivery, all in one system.”
Given the high profile of this project, Beemer is keen to highlight InEight’s advantages, adding, “In the past, I had to juggle multiple systems to handle tasks that I can now easily manage with InEight. From making back-charges to vendors to updating invoices, it’s all streamlined in one system.” By completion, South Fork Wind had produced over 4,000 checklists, 2,100 punch lists, 6,000 tags, and up to 80 separate users at any given moment.
Beemer continues, “With InEight Contract, we streamline the process of managing agreements, cost codes, delivery schedules, and more. No more separate requests or chasing overdue items. InEight keeps everything organized and generates reports effortlessly.”
All told, Kiewit managed the South Fork project through six integrated InEight solutions: Design, Plan, Control, Contract, Compliance, and Change. “We used to use Excel and it was pretty hard to manage,” explains Senior Scheduling Analyst Kennedy Keys. “With InEight, all our project information is centralized, saving us time and effort.”
From start to finish, construction on South Fork Wind lasted just over two years. It was crucial that Kiewit meet its scheduled milestones.