500MW Kom Ombo Solar Photovoltaic Power Plant

MS for Earthing Installation

Client

EPC

Consultant

Subcontractor

QAR ASPC-QD-PVS-EL- Issued Construction team

MS-PTRF-001-00

REV 0 Review Quality Team

DAT 22-05-2024 Verifyin
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 CONTENTS

CONTENTS................................................................................................................................

1.0 SCOPE.............................................................................................................................

2.0 RESPONSIBILITIES........................................................................................................

3.0 INTERFACING REQUIREMENTS...................................................................................

4.0 SEQUENCING..................................................................................................................

5.0 METHODOLOGY.............................................................................................................
5.1 Pre-Works.........................................................................................................................................................

5.2 Works.................................................................................................................................................................

5.3 Post-works.........................................................................................................................................................

6.0 EQUIPMENT AND TOOLS..............................................................................................

7.0 MATERIALS.....................................................................................................................

8.0 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS.........................................................................

9.0 SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS.........................................................................................

10.0 TRAINING REQUIREMENTS.......................................................................................

1.0Scope
This method statement details the procedure established for the correct and proper
execution of all aspects of electrical earthing applicable to the Works, to ensure that earthing
system installation conforms to the contract requirements, specifications, and applicable
standards.

This document defines the recognized practices to be adopted to ensure that the works at
site are in compliance with the Project Quality Plan, its associated quality procedures, and the
approved Project Inspection Plan. It applies to the supply, laying, interconnection, testing and
commissioning of electrical earthing system.

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2.0Responsibilities

 Site Manager:

o Assigns areas of responsibilities to Senior Site Engineers.

o Monitoring and controlling project execution with respect to time, cost and quality.
o Coordinating between different functions within the project.
o Expediting areas of concern to best achieve project schedule.

 Senior Site Engineer:

o Assigns areas of responsibilities to Site Engineers.

o Monitoring and controlling project execution with respect to time and quality.
o Ensures work is performed as per approved method statement.
o Expediting areas of concern to best achieve project schedule.

 Site Engineer:

o Assigns work tasks/ activities to foremen / subcontractors.

o Ensuring the execution of work activities within the allocated time frame.
o Monitoring and controlling activity execution with respect to time and quality.
o Ensures work is performed as per approved method statement.
o Expediting areas of concern to best achieve work activity time frame.
o Liaising with QC Engineers regarding work progression and hold point inspections.
o Liaising with Owner representative regarding any existing underground utilities.

 Foreman/Subcontractor:

o Assigns work tasks to technicians / workers.

o Ensuring the execution of tasks within the allocated time frame.
o Monitoring and controlling execution with respect to time and quality.
o Expediting areas of concern to best achieve work activity time frame.
o Liaising with Site Engineer regarding work progression and readiness for inspection.

 Surveyors:

o Setting out coordinates for pigtails and earth rods.

o Ensure depth of excavation is as noted in drawings.

 QC Manager:

o Assigns areas of responsibilities to QC Engineers.

o Monitoring and controlling project execution with respect to quality.
o Ensures completeness of the quality documentation.
o Ensures the project requirements for quality are fulfilled.
o Expediting areas of concern to best achieve project quality requirements.

 QC Engineers:

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 o Assigns areas of responsibilities to QC technicians.
o Ensuring that the Project Inspection Plan (PIP) is briefed to and followed by the
construction team.
o Ensures required quality documentation is fulfilled and approved.
o Initiating and maintaining check-sheets / records for works.
o Liaising with Site Engineers regarding work progression and hold point inspections.
o Performing hold point inspections of finished parts.
o Expediting areas of concern to best achieve project quality requirements.

 QC Technician:

o Real time monitoring of ongoing work activities.

o Status reporting of work progress and readiness for inspection.
o Liaising with Site Engineers regarding work progression and hold point inspections.

 Safety Team:

o Ensure that required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is worn at all times.
o Ensure all workers / technicians are briefed about hazards associated with their type of
work.
o Highlight hazards associated to each work activity.
o Close monitoring of workers and worksite for any safety related issues.

 Technical Office Manager:

o Ensure drawings are developed and approved on time.

o Coordinate all technical and engineering issues with concerned parties.
o Liaise with construction team to prioritize required drawings / submittals.

3.0 Interfacing Requirements

Details of the requirements for interfacing are defined in the responsibilities of each party
involved.

4.0 Sequencing
Works shall be performed generally in accordance with the Works Programme (or
“Schedule”), which details the durations and relationships with other types of works.

5.0 Methodology

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5.1 Pre-Works
 Check that the design and shop drawings for earthing system are in “approved for
construction” status.
 Check that access to the work site area for installation is clear, unobstructed and safe. Ensure
that required means of material / personnel transportation, and temporary services /
provisions are available.
 Check that earthing system materials have been ordered, fabricated and factory inspected.
5.2 Works
The earthing system comprises copper conductors directly buried in soil, conductors buried
within reinforced concrete foundations, with pigtails (stub-ups) extending upright at locations
specified on the drawings by coordinates, for the bonding of equipment and/or metallic
structure, as well as earthing rods driven into soil and connected to the aforementioned grid, to
lower the grid’s resistance to earth.

Site-wide main grid:

Note: No excavation shall be allowed to commence until the Site Engineer in

charge of the works has in his possession a current valid Permit To Excavate
issued by the Project Safety Manager. The constraints indicated on the Permit
To Excavate are MANDATORY and SHALL NOT be deviated from.

 For main earth grid, the surveyor marks the locations to be excavated, as per the approved
drawings. The Site Engineer supervises the excavation to ensure that the required depth is
attained, and that the excavation is ready for main grid earthing cable installation.
 Under the supervision of the Site Engineer, the foreman / earthing subcontractor and
workers lay the bare copper conductors in the trench. The installed grid conductors shall be
interconnected with other parts of the main earth grid, to ground loops around structures,
and to earthing pits using exothermic welding (see picture), so as to form one complete
extended earthing grid.

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 The foreman / earthing subcontractor shall supervise the backfilling of the excavation to
bury the earthing conductors, to ensure that it is done properly and that conductors and/or
welding points are not damaged during backfilling.
Earthing grid in and around structures:

 During reinforcing steel fixing of foundations/structures, the foreman / earthing

subcontractor and workers shall lay bare copper conductors around the structure at
specified depth, to form an earthing loop around the building. This earthing loop shall be
connected by approved means (e.g. exothermic welding) to steel rebar (see picture) at least
at two diagonally opposite points of the foundation, unless otherwise indicated on the
drawings.

 Within the reinforced foundation itself, bare earthing conductors shall be firmly bonded to
reinforcement steel bars (using tie wires) in a grid pattern as indicated on the drawings. In-
foundation earthing conductors shall be connected to the structure earthing loop using
exothermic welding.
 For earthing conductors extending to upper levels of structures, these conductors shall be
exothermally bonded to the building grid, and extended within the reinforcement of
concrete columns, or fixed by cable clamps to steel columns/framing, up to the specified
level. For reinforced concrete columns, this is usually done in steps, as the concrete structure
progresses.
Pigtails, test links and flexible straps:

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 Pigtails (stub-ups), with size as specified on the drawings, shall be welded to this grid and
fixed upright at points specified on drawings. These points shall have been marked by the
surveyor as per the coordinates on the approved drawings. If a pigtail point marked by its
coordinates appears to be at a physically obstructed location (e.g. within equipment outline,
inside column, etc...), this point shall be conveniently relocated as close as possible to the
original location so as to be within reach to be connected to the intended equipment or
structure. In such cases, the Engineer shall be notified and the modified pigtail shall be
identified and marked on as built drawings.
 The pigtails shall then be terminated using lugs, and bolted to test links (of specified size),
steel structure column, metallic structure, panel boards earth busbar, or equipment to be
earthed. Earthing jumpers and flexible straps for equipment, cable trays, steel doors, and
movable structures shall be then properly fixed as shown on approved drawings.
 After termination and bolting pigtails and/or jumpers, all connections shall be tested to
verify continuity with earth grid.

Earth rods and pits:

 Excavate for the earth pit to the specified depth, at the location indicated on approved
drawings. Drive earth rod(s) using appropriate means (e.g. Hammer), and use earth rod cap
(driving stud) to avoid bending earth rod(s) while being driven in soil, and to protect earth
rod head threading. In case more than one earth rod section is needed, remove the driving
stud after complete insertion of first section, fix second section using copper coupling
(dowel) and fix the driving cap again on the top of the new section, and drive into soil in the
same manner as first section.
 Install the earth pit so that the top of the pit shall be in level with the finished floor level in
the area (see picture). Connect the earth rod(s) to the copper bus bar / test link fixed within
the pit using appropriate copper conductor, clamp and lug. Collect the cables from the earth
grid, terminate them inside the pit, and connect them to the copper bus bar / test link.

Testing:

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  After completion of the whole Earthing system, resistance testing with milli-ohm capable
testing equipment shall be performed to assess the value of the system’s electrical
resistance to earth, as per the Project Inspection Plan. Unless otherwise specified, the
maximum acceptable value for earthing resistance is 5 ohms.
5.3 Post-works
 The foreman / Earthing Subcontractor shall witness the concrete pouring of foundations and
structures and ensure that no part of the installed earthing grid conductors is damaged,
including pigtails and exothermic connection points.
 Ensure that non-terminated pigtails extending out of concrete foundations / slabs are
adequately protected from physical damage using appropriate means, for example, by
sliding a piece of PVC conduit over the pigtail.
6.0Equipment and Tools
 Hammer (or earth rod driver)
 Hand tools
 Welding Mold and powder
 Lugs Compression tool (manual or hydraulic)
 Cable Cutter (manual or hydraulic)

7.0Materials
 Copper Cables (Bare, Insulated)
 Flexible Jumpers and Straps
 Copper Clad Earth rods
 Clamps and cable lugs
 Earthing inspection pits
 Copper test links and bus bars

8.0Environmental Considerations
All as per OCI procedures:
 HSEP 01 - Evaluation of Environmental Aspects
 HSEP 02 - Environmental Program

9.0 Special Considerations

Cable drum handling:

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  Lift drum to designated area / warehouse by using crane.
 Do not lay cable drums on their flanges.
 When drum reaches designated area/warehouse, provide wooden block/plate below the
reel to prevent it from rolling

10.0 Training Requirements

The Senior Site Engineer overseeing these works shall ensure that all those concerned are
briefed in the requirements of this method statement prior to commencement of the works and
monitored thereafter for compliance with it.