KSI
KEPCo Services, Inc. (KSI) is a wholly owned, for-profit subsidiary of KEPCo. Established in 1997, KSI offers a wide range of technical and engineering services to its member cooperatives and non-member cooperatives requiring engineering consulting services. In addition to traditional technical support such as metering, power quality, financial forecasts, and delivery point reliability, KSI provides such services as construction work plans, sectionalizing studies, substation design, and work order inspections, to name a few.
HISTORY OF KSI
KSI was established by the KEPCo board of trustees in June 1997 to develop and provide new, non-traditional programs and consulting services to KEPCo’s member cooperatives. KSI is organized as a wholly owned, for-profit subsidiary of KEPCo with a separate board of directors. For many years, KEPCo has provided and continues to provide technical and engineering assistance to its members. However, the members expressed a growing interest in exploring additional engineering programs and services from a trusted cooperative partner, rather than the individual members investing in the time, equipment, and personnel needed to provide such programs and services for themselves, or hiring other outside consultants to do so. In response to this member demand, KSI was formed.
PURPOSE AND VALUES
KSI’s purpose is to provide value-added engineering services while creatively finding solutions that facilitate the goals and objectives of their clients. KSI puts paramount importance on integrity, transparency, innovation, service, and a commitment to those who place their trust in them.
Combining the long-standing, successful tradition of technical and engineering support with new, innovative services to meet the needs of both member and non-member cooperatives in a dynamic electric utility industry, KSI has developed an extensive menu of services performed by experienced professionals who understand rural electric cooperatives and their engineering requirements. By focusing on cooperatives and cooperative issues, KSI is able to provide quality, timely, comprehensive, and cost-effective service. In fact, based on the quality of KSI’s engineering services, KSI is the officially designated engineering consultant for several Kansas rural electric cooperatives.
KSI’s primary concentration is on rural electric cooperatives, one cooperative helping another.
For more information, contact KSI by calling KEPCo’s mainline phone number 785-271-4800.
KSI Services
Work Plans
KSI’s engineering staff uses the latest system analysis software and unique cooperative perspective to design realistic short- and long-range plans for your cooperative. By combining the knowledge and experience of your staff with KSI’s engineering skills and expertise, KSI is able to produce practical, effective, and economical plans for your system.
Mapping
Our detailed base maps combined with our wide carriage color plotter allow us to produce high quality maps and map sets. Whether large or small, KSI can assist you with custom maps to meet every need using such programs as AutoCAD, ESRI, and Milsoft WindMil, among others.
Project Management
KSI has experience in assisting clients with project management on a variety of projects, including Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) damage assessments, public assistance and hazard mitigation grants, contract administration, and construction oversight; distributed generation; line relocations; and material procurement; to name a few.
Sectionalizing Studies
KSI’s system protection engineers can provide sectionalizing solutions that will reduce momentary outages, minimize outage time, limit damage to primary lines and equipment, and decrease the possibility of hazardous voltages at ground level. KSI is available to evaluate a particular problem area or your entire system.
Substation Design
The addition of a new substation, including mobile substations, represents one of the largest system investments a cooperative can make. KSI’s engineers will work with you to provide a substation design that economically addresses your system and energy demand requirements.
Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Plans (SPCC)
KSI has assisted many cooperatives in ensuring compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency’s objective to protect inland waters. A complete analysis of your oil storage assets is included in this service and a comprehensive report is provided to ensure compliance with current regulations.
Work Order Inspections
KSI provides thorough work order inspections as required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Utilities Service (RUS). This work is performed by KSI’s knowledgeable and professional engineers who have years of experience in design and construction standards, and are experts on the National Electric Safety Code (NESC). These inspections help to reduce utility risk and improve reliability. Additionally, KSI believes that the work order inspection process provides a valuable feedback loop that helps to improve the quality of the design and construction of the project.
Renewables and Distributed Generation Planning and Design
KSI offers planning and design services for distributed generation and renewable resources. In 2017, KSI engineered and procured KEPCo’s Prairie Sky Solar Farm, a 1-MW fixed tilt panel solar facility. More recently, KSI provided technical support and project management for the Butler Rural Electric Cooperative Assn., Inc. Pony Meadows Solar Farm, a 1-MW single-axis solar facility, which included developing a request for proposals from prospective engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractors, analyzing the proposals, and assisting Butler in selecting an EPC contractor. KSI also worked with Butler staff to design and implement the interconnection at the Pony Meadows Substation and worked with Butler staff and the EPC contractor to oversee the construction and commissioning of the project.
Arc Hazard Analysis and Mitigation
KSI can provide arc hazard analysis based on the latest National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards. We understand the importance of the safety of your electrical personnel and will work to ensure their safety from arc flash hazards.
Professional Engineering Certification
KSI has four professional engineers on staff to design, review, and certify engineering documents requiring a PE certification.