Commissioning and start-up of industrial electrical & instrumentation systems
We perform pre-commissioning and commissioning on LV/MV electrical systems and instrumentation: from preliminary checks and energization through functional testing, start-up and final documentation.
New plants, expansions and work on operating facilities, coordinated with the client, EPC contractor and equipment manufacturers.
From construction completion to start-up
A physically complete plant is not automatically ready for energization or operation. Before energizing switchgear or starting a load, the installation and connections must be checked, circuits verified against drawings, protection and interlocks confirmed as configured, and signals proven all the way to the control system.
Commissioning is the phase in which these checks are performed, recorded and closed out: issues identified, corrections authorized, tests repeated and documentation updated.
Installation
Assembly, installation, wiring and connections completed in accordance with the design.
Pre-commissioning
Checks on de-energized systems: circuits, insulation, earthing, protection and correspondence with drawings.
Readiness
Readiness for energization verified and documented, not assumed.
Energization
Authorized switching operations in accordance with site procedures and agreed sequences.
Commissioning
Functional tests on the energized system: controls, signals, interlocks and loads.
Start-up
Progressive entry into service, start-up assistance and final dossier.
Pre-commissioning
This phase brings the system to a verified ready-for-energization condition. Work is performed on de-energized equipment: installation and connections are checked, insulation and continuity measured, earthing, polarity, phase sequence and protection configuration verified, and field conditions compared with drawings. Any discrepancies are recorded before proceeding.
Commissioning
After energization, verification moves to the active system: power and auxiliaries, local and remote controls, protection and trip chains, signals to the control system, interlocks, load start-up and plant response to the implemented logic.
Start-up and commissioning support
The plant enters service by system and by phase. During this period, the work is primarily technical coordination and on-site support: client, EPC, designer, manufacturers and OEM technicians operate concurrently while residual issues are resolved as the plant is progressively loaded.
Pre-commissioning: verify the plant before energization
Where included in the work scope, activities cover verification of installation and mounting, equipment checks, torque verification, cable identification, terminations and terminal blocks, correspondence with schematics, earthing connections, continuity and insulation measurements, polarity and phase sequence, auxiliary supplies, configurations and protection, switchgear condition and identification of anomalies and nonconformities.
Readiness is not assumed solely from physical completion: it is technically verified and documented. LAMAEL’s technical lead follows the phases, verifies whether the system can be considered ready and completes the required documentation. Final formal authorization remains subject to the responsibilities defined by the project and client.
LV and MV electrical system commissioning
Activities cover the distribution systems and equipment actually installed in industrial sites and power plants, at both low and medium voltage.
Switchgear, Power Centers and MCCs
Circuit checks, main and auxiliary supplies, protection, local and remote controls, interlocks, indications and functional testing of feeders.
MV and LV distribution
Switchgear panels, circuit breakers and disconnectors, circuits and cables, CTs and VTs, metering and distribution systems, with tests appropriate to the relevant voltage level.
Transformers
Verification of connections and torque, earthing, auxiliary circuits, protection, temperature devices and accessories, insulation measurements, energization and initial monitoring.
UPS, batteries and auxiliary systems
Verification of connections, supplies and indications for auxiliary and continuity systems, with functional tests defined by the scope and manufacturer instructions.
Electrical protection and trip chains
Protection verification and testing are performed directly: settings review, configuration, relay and secondary-injection testing, functional tests, trip-chain checks and correspondence with the design.
For complex systems requiring proprietary know-how, activities are performed together with the manufacturer.
Motors and loads
Functional verification of the complete chain: supply, protection, permissive, command, load, feedback and indications to DCS or PLC, through correct interaction between all elements.
Testing within the commissioning process
In-house equipment and expertise allow LAMAEL to directly perform the test categories relevant to the described activities: continuity, insulation, polarity, phase sequence, PE continuity and earthing systems, MV cable tests including VLF where required, protection testing by injection, electrical measurements and additional checks required to complete test sheets.
Tests are scheduled according to the system and project specifications and recorded in the relevant reports.
E&I commissioning and loop checks
Instrumentation frequently drives commissioning duration: signals must be verified individually from the field to the control system and in the opposite direction for commands.
LAMAEL has an in-house team of around 15 instrumentation technicians with different experience levels, assigned according to role and activity complexity.
Field instrument → junction box and terminals → panel → PLC/DCS
PLC/DCS → panel → field → actuator or equipment
Field instrumentation verification
Correct installation, power supply, identification, connections, correspondence with design and actual instrument response.
Loop check and point-to-point verification
Continuity checks, point-to-point checks, analog and digital signal loop checks and I/O verification throughout the complete chain, recorded on loop sheets.
Simulation, measurement and calibration
Dedicated equipment for 4–20 mA and digital-signal simulation, signal generation and measurement, pressure, temperature, level, flow, switches, analyzers and process instrumentation.
Valves and actuators
Motorized and pneumatic valves, electric actuators, positioners, limit switches and solenoid valves: command, position, feedback and control-system interface.
I/O, interlocks and functional testing
Verification covers plant and interface behavior against the intended logic: I/O, analog and digital signals, feedback, alarms, commands, local/remote selection, permissives, interlocks, emergencies and sequences.
Typical findings are practical: an interlock preventing start-up, a missing feedback, or a signal not reaching the control system. The chain is traced systematically to identify the cause and the verification result is documented.
For complex or proprietary systems, tests are performed in support of the manufacturer’s technician.
LAMAEL does not program PLCs or DCS systems and does not modify control software. We verify that the plant, wiring, instrumentation and interfaces respond correctly to the implemented logic.
Software changes under the responsibility of the designer or manufacturer are identified and coordinated with the responsible party.
OEM package integration and commissioning
Many projects include preassembled machines and packages with their own switchboard and control system. In these cases, work focuses on interfaces: supplies, power connections, field connections, signals, instrumentation, actuators and links to the plant control system, with testing performed together with the manufacturer’s technician.
When a signal, command or feedback does not operate correctly, the chain is traced systematically to determine where the issue lies. This quickly directs troubleshooting to the responsible party without unnecessary delay and without intervention on proprietary package software.
Energization and start-up
Before energization, system readiness and required documentation are verified, client procedures are applied and necessary authorizations obtained. Energization sequences are agreed, the system prepared, the area controlled and made safe, and work proceeds by system and plant section with the required initial checks.
LAMAEL participates in energization and physically performs authorized switching operations within the responsibilities defined by the project and site procedures.
All personnel hold at least the applicable PAV electrical-safety qualification; individuals are assigned to each activity according to role, qualification and responsibility.
Nonconformities, punch lists and retesting
Issues are a normal part of commissioning; what matters is how they are recorded, classified and closed. The workflow remains consistent regardless of project size.
When LAMAEL is designer and contractor
The nonconformity is managed internally in accordance with applicable procedures and assigned responsibilities: analysis, correction, retest and project-documentation update.
When design or responsibility belongs to third parties
Where an external designer, EPC contractor, client or project manager is responsible, the issue is documented and escalated, and the required authorization is obtained before proceeding with changes requiring approval.
Documented commissioning
The organization is ISO 9001 certified and activities are managed through documented procedures. The level of documentation detail depends on plant size and complexity, project specifications and client requirements.
LAMAEL can normally prepare the final dossier of activities and tests performed, including records and document updates.
- Pre-commissioning checklists
- Test sheets
- Loop-check sheets
- Insulation measurements
- Cable test reports
- Protection test reports
- Instrumentation reports
- Calibration reports
- Punch lists
- Nonconformities
- Red-lines
- Commissioning reports and sheets
- As-built drawings and changes
- Final dossier
Commissioning on existing plants and during revamping
Commissioning is not limited to new plants. Expansions, replacements, new substations and switchgear, distribution changes and phased work require testing and start-up on plants that are partly already in operation, with planned shutdowns and sections kept energized.
In these cases, the test, re-energization and recommissioning sequence is defined together with operations, considering critical loads and available windows.
Commissioning in ATEX areas and complex industrial environments
Part of the work is performed in hazardous areas, where installation, verification and testing must comply with applicable requirements and site procedures.
One example is commissioning of extraction systems installed in battery rooms at thermal power plants, on systems previously built by LAMAEL. Knowledge of the installation supported verification and start-up in an environment subject to specific requirements.
ATEX-area activities →From installation to commissioning: 63 MW peaker power plant
Plant based on a 63 MW Siemens aeroderivative gas turbine in Giammoro, Messina, Italy, delivered in 2022–2023.
Scope delivered
LAMAEL handled substantially the entire electrical and instrumentation scope: verification of cable requirements, cable procurement, installation of infrastructure and cable trays, cable laying, electrical and instrumentation connections, LV and MV switchgear and systems, connections to preassembled packages and connection of the turbine manufacturer’s control enclosure.
The same scope then included circuit and signal verification, pre-commissioning, commissioning, energization and start-up.
Some plant sections arrived preassembled by the manufacturer. LAMAEL completed the interfaces and subsequently verified the electrical and instrumentation scope. One of the most intensive activities was checking the large number of I/O points, requiring extensive work on signals and interfaces.
Role, scope and responsibilities
Activities are normally performed under coordination of the client, EPC contractor, commissioning manager or other project-responsible party. LAMAEL provides technical coordination support, operational management of activities within its scope, readiness verification, coordination of tests under its responsibility and the technical interface with designers, EPC contractors and manufacturers.
In some projects LAMAEL has taken on a broad operational role where other parties had limited specialist technical resources. This does not alter the contractual framework: formal responsibilities remain those defined by the project.
An example of continuity between assembly and commissioning is ongoing work on panels for pH analysis at a power generation plant: assembly, installation, connections, verification and commissioning of the package.
The same team that assembles the panel then verifies its operation in the field, with the advantage of already knowing its connections and configuration during testing.
Industrial electrical commissioning FAQs
What is the difference between pre-commissioning and commissioning?
Pre-commissioning covers checks performed on de-energized systems to bring them to a ready-for-energization condition: installation and connection checks, insulation and continuity measurements, earthing, protection and correspondence with drawings. Commissioning covers functional verification after energization on the active system.
Does LAMAEL commission both electrical systems and instrumentation?
Yes. Activities cover LV and MV electrical systems — switchgear, Power Centers, MCCs, transformers, protection and loads — as well as instrumentation, including field-instrument verification, loop checks, I/O checks, valves and actuators.
Can commissioning also be performed during revamping or on an existing plant?
Yes. On existing plants, activities are organized in phases and coordinated with operations and available shutdown windows, keeping unaffected plant sections in service.
Can LAMAEL work on packages and equipment supplied by other manufacturers?
Yes, on the interfaces: power supplies, power and field connections, signals, instrumentation, actuators and connection to the plant control system, with testing coordinated with the manufacturer’s technician. LAMAEL does not modify proprietary package software.
Do you need to test or commission an industrial plant?
Share the plant configuration, project status, systems involved and required scope with our technical team.
From this information we can assess the tests, resources, documentation and operating methods required for pre-commissioning, commissioning and start-up.
Request a technical discussion