Engineering Design and Advisory Consultancy Services

Earthing is a critical safety system within electrical infrastructure, ensuring that fault currents are safely dissipated into the ground to protect people, assets and the surrounding environment. Freedom’s earthing design and advisory service delivers robust, compliant solutions that manage electrical risk and support safe network operation.

Our service focuses on understanding how electrical energy behaves during fault conditions and how it interacts with site‑specific ground conditions. Effective earthing design controls touch and step voltages within substations and adjacent areas, reducing risk to operatives, the public and nearby infrastructure.

A key element of our approach is the use of site‑based testing and measured data. Rather than relying solely on assumptions, our engineers undertake on‑site surveys and testing to understand actual ground resistivity and conditions. This allows earthing systems to be designed accurately and proportionately, improving safety, resilience and long‑term performance.

We provide earthing support across advisory, design and testing, either as a standalone service or integrated within wider multi‑disciplinary projects. Our experience spans regulated distribution networks as well as private and renewable schemes, supporting new installations, asset upgrades and renewals.

By embedding earthing design early in the project lifecycle, we help clients identify and manage risk, avoid costly design changes and ensure compliance with industry standards. Our collaborative working style allows earthing systems to be aligned with civil, structural and electrical designs, ensuring they are practical to install and operate.

The result is a technically sound earthing solution that performs as intended under fault conditions, providing confidence that safety has been engineered into the asset from the outset.

Overhead line design is a core element of our design and advisory offering, supporting the delivery, renewal and resilience of high‑voltage electrical networks. Our expertise covers new installations, system upgrades, asset replacement and damage or repair works.

We support clients across distribution and transmission networks, with capability extending up to 132kV. Services are delivered for both regulated and private schemes and are aligned with operational standards, safety requirements and long‑term asset performance.

We provide overhead line design as a design‑only service or as part of a wider design and build solution. Early involvement allows us to support feasibility and early contractor engagement stages, shaping efficient and deliverable schemes. For projects already underway, we provide engineering input to review, validate and optimise designs.

Our capability covers a range of overhead line structures, including towers, poles and associated components, as well as high‑level assessments of existing assets.

A key differentiator is the close integration between design and construction expertise, ensuring designs are practical, safe and constructable. This joined‑up approach supports efficient delivery and reduces risk across the project lifecycle.

High‑voltage cable systems are essential to the performance and reliability of electrical networks. We provide specialist HV cable design and advisory services that support projects from early feasibility through to construction‑ready delivery.

Our capability covers both electrical system design and cable routing design. Electrical design ensures cables are correctly specified to meet performance, capacity and compliance requirements. Routing design focuses on how cables are installed, considering constraints such as highways, railways, watercourses, existing assets and environmental sensitivities.

We support both regulated and unregulated markets, working with distribution network operators, independent connection providers and private clients. Our experience includes new connections, network reinforcement, asset replacement and infrastructure upgrades.

HV cable design is delivered collaboratively, working closely with civil, environmental, land and planning teams to ensure routes are practical, buildable and aligned with wider project objectives. We also support feasibility studies, route optioneering and risk assessments to help clients identify constraints early and develop effective mitigation strategies.

By combining technical expertise with a strong understanding of regulatory standards and delivery challenges, Freedom helps clients progress HV cable projects with confidence, whether as a design‑only commission or part of an end‑to‑end solution.

Geo‑engineering underpins the safe and successful delivery of infrastructure projects by providing a clear understanding of ground conditions and site‑specific risks. Our geo‑engineering design and advisory service supports projects from early feasibility through to construction.

Our involvement often begins with desktop studies and due diligence, supporting planning and early decision‑making. These assessments identify constraints such as contamination, mining legacy, slope instability, groundwater conditions, ecology, archaeology and existing utilities.

Using this information, we scope and interpret targeted ground investigations, ensuring surveys are proportionate and focused. The resulting data informs practical engineering solutions including foundation design, earthworks strategies, slope stability measures and ground improvement requirements.

Our capability spans geo‑environmental, geotechnical and engineering geology disciplines, allowing us to deliver integrated advice that balances engineering, environmental and regulatory considerations. Geo‑engineering also acts as a key interface between civil, structural, electrical and environmental disciplines, particularly on substations and cable routes.

We also support sustainability objectives through advice on earthworks optimisation, material reuse and ground‑based renewable technologies, helping clients manage risk, cost and long‑term performance.

We provide early‑stage strategic and conceptual advisory services to help clients make informed, confident decisions at the point where investment, risk and long‑term performance are most influenced. Our advisory role is focused on clarity, assurance and value creation, supporting clients before projects are committed and long before delivery risk is locked in.

Working collaboratively with our clients, we bring together power engineering expertise, commercial insight and regulatory understanding to shape robust strategies that stand up to scrutiny and remain deliverable as projects progress.

We support clients in understanding what investment is required, when, and why, using structured analysis to assess DEVEX, CAPEX and OPEX across the asset lifecycle. By applying TOTEX‑based thinking, we help balance upfront cost, operational efficiency and long‑term value, enabling better investment prioritisation and more resilient business cases.

Our teams work closely with stakeholders to test assumptions, explore options and provide clear evidence to support investment decisions, particularly in complex HV/EHV and regulated network environments.

We provide specialist grid connection advisory services to help clients navigate an increasingly constrained, complex and fast‑evolving electricity networks landscape. Our role is to bring clarity, realism and confidence to grid connection decisions at the earliest possible stage, reducing risk and improving long‑term outcomes.

We combine deep technical expertise, regulatory insight and practical delivery experience to support clients from initial connection strategy through to long‑term network planning.

Understanding connection needs and network capability

We support clients with connection needs assessment, capacity evaluation and network resilience analysis, helping them understand what the network can realistically accommodate and how this aligns with their operational and growth requirements.

Our teams assess existing and future demand, network constraints and resilience considerations, enabling informed decisions on connection voltage, point of connection and phasing. This early insight helps avoid over‑ or under‑specification and reduces the risk of late‑stage redesign or delay.

Navigating offers, queues and approvals

With grid capacity under pressure and connection processes undergoing reform, Freedom provides offer evaluation, queue management and negotiation support to help clients secure the best achievable outcomes.

We support the review and challenge of connection offers, assess programme and cost implications, and advise on engagement with DNOs, transmission operators and the system operator. By understanding how connection queues, readiness criteria and regulatory drivers operate in practice, we help clients manage uncertainty and maintain momentum.

Flexibility, constraints and long‑term planning

Where network constraints exist, we advise on flexibility options, constraint analysis and long‑term grid planning, supporting strategies that go beyond a single connection solution.

This includes exploring flexibility, phased connections, interim arrangements and future reinforcement scenarios, ensuring today’s decisions remain robust as demand, regulation and network capability evolve. Our approach supports resilient, future‑ready strategies aligned with long‑term operational and investment objectives.

Trusted advice, grounded in delivery

Our grid connection advisory services are delivered by experienced power engineers and network specialists who understand both strategic decision‑making and real‑world delivery. This ensures advice is practical, proportionate and achievable within the regulated networks environment.

By acting as an independent, trusted advisor, Freedom helps clients move forward with greater certainty, reduced risk and a clearer path to connection.

We support clients from early advisory through to delivery and long‑term asset care, ensuring that projects are not only delivered successfully, but continue to perform safely, efficiently and reliably throughout their operational life.

Our approach is built around certainty, continuity and informed decision‑making, combining technical expertise, disciplined programme management and data‑led insight at every stage.

From advisory into delivery certainty

We translate early advisory work into robust programme planning, budget modelling and cost‑certainty assessments, helping clients move from concept to commitment with confidence. By aligning scope, programme and cost from the outset, we reduce uncertainty and create a clear, deliverable pathway into construction.

Our teams work collaboratively with clients and stakeholders to develop realistic programmes, understand dependencies and manage risk, ensuring delivery strategies remain aligned with operational and commercial objectives.

Cradle‑to‑grave project support

Freedom provides approvals management, sequencing and cradle‑to‑grave project support, coordinating technical, regulatory and operational requirements throughout the project lifecycle. We manage complex interfaces, support operator engagement and ensure that approvals, construction and commissioning activities are properly sequenced to protect programme certainty.

This end‑to‑end oversight enables smoother delivery, fewer surprises and clearer accountability from early works through to energisation and handover.

Data‑led delivery using advanced tools

Using advanced tools such as helicopter LiDAR, GIS integration and high‑precision survey data, we gain early, accurate insight into existing assets, routes and constraints. This data‑led approach helps reduce rework, accelerate programmes and improve decision‑making by providing a clear, evidence‑based view of risk, buildability and long‑term asset performance.

By integrating high‑quality survey data into planning and delivery, we support safer construction, more efficient sequencing and stronger outcomes at handover. 

Our project management capability sits at the heart of our design and advisory services, providing clear leadership, coordination and control across complex electrical infrastructure projects. We manage projects from early feasibility through to delivery, ensuring technical, commercial and regulatory requirements are aligned at every stage.

Our project managers act as a single point of accountability, coordinating multidisciplinary inputs across electrical, civil, land, environmental and surveying teams. This integrated approach ensures that design decisions are informed, risks are managed proactively and programmes remain achievable.

We support clients at all stages of the project lifecycle, including early strategy development, scope definition, programme planning and cost control. Our teams work closely with stakeholders, statutory bodies and network operators to manage interfaces, approvals and dependencies, helping projects progress efficiently through planning and delivery.

Our project management service is particularly valuable on complex schemes such as substations, overhead lines and cable routes, where multiple constraints must be balanced. We provide oversight of surveys, consents, technical assurance and design development, ensuring that outputs are coordinated and ready for construction.

Where projects move into delivery, our project managers maintain continuity between design and build, supporting constructability, sequencing and risk mitigation. This end‑to‑end visibility reduces uncertainty, improves decision‑making and helps avoid costly changes later in the programme.

By combining technical understanding with structured project controls, our project management capability gives clients confidence that their projects will be delivered safely, compliantly and in line with programme and budget expectations.