Featured as T&D World's cover story in May 2026, the Hickory GIS Substation in Denton, TX, showcases what community-first electric infrastructure can look like.

Supporting Utility Goals with GIS

This brownfield substation project used gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) technology to expand an existing station's capacity on a small plot of available land within a densely-populated city. The City of Denton worked closely with residents to plan this new station, with citizens participating on a design committee and the idea of using GIS first being introduced in a citizen suggestion. Using GIS enabled this municipal utility to:

• Expand power capacity from 69kV to 138kV
• Fit the station within a 2.1-acre lot (compared to the seven acres that would have been needed for a comparable 138/13.2kV AIS station)
• Hide the station from street view by enclosing it within a GIS building and behind screen walls

Video: Substation Construction Timelapse

Solving Engineering Challenges

Beta leveraged 3D building information modeling (BIM) to support collaboration across all stakeholders, helping Beta and its partners solve numerous design challenges, including:

• Underground Conduit Design—Because much of the conduit leading to and from the GIS equipment was routed through foundations, the location, orientation, and arrangement of this cabling required precise planning. The underground duct banks also required precise modeling and coordination to ensure proper spacing and lengths.
• Foundation Solutions for Highly-Expansive Soils—Geotechnical studies showed this site had highly-expansive soils with a potential vertical rise (PVR) of up to five inches. To meet tight deflection tolerances for the GIS equipment (needed to maintain their gaseous seals), the team designed drilled shaft pedestal foundations. These met all structural and cabling needs and also minimized the volume of concrete needed.

Leading Utility Innovation

Hickory GIS is helping the City of Denton continue to grow with reliable power and a stronger grid. And its impact doesn't stop there. Thanks to Denton's commitment to serving their residents and the creative solution they came up with, Hickory GIS now stands as an example for how other utilities can leverage GIS technology to upgrade brownfield substations in urban areas while leveraging wall designs to improve site security and curb appeal for city residents.