How to Improve the Efficiency, Capacity, Reliability and Resilience
of the Electric Power Grid with ACCC® Conductor  
CTC Global
High Performance Conductors for a Low Carbon World™
ACCC® News - June 2022
U.S. Infrastructure Bill Strongly Supports Advanced Conductors

By Dave Townley, Director Public Policy, CTC Global Corporation

The $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also called the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), was signed 11/15/2021 and includes funding to help utilities upgrade their existing transmission infrastructure and build new transmission infrastructure. Three of the four transmission programs, described below, include Advanced Conductors explicitly as recipients of the Programs.
                                                                                            
Section 40101: Preventing Outages and Enhancing the Resilience of the Electric Grid

·      $5 billion ($1 billion/yr) for a competitive Grant Program with $2.5 billion administered by DOE and $2.5 billion by states, territories, and tribes.
·      30% set aside for small utilities (<6 million MWh/yr).
·      The law lists a number of activities on which the grants can be applied and Advanced Conductors can be used for many activities. The law specifies Advanced Conductors, like ACCC® Conductor can receive a grant for “the reconductoring of power lines with low-sag, Advanced Conductors”, especially in wildfire risk areas.

Section 40103: Electric Grid Reliability & Resilience Research, Development, & Demonstration

·      $5 billion ($1 billion/yr) for DOE grants to state and local governments, state public utility commissions, and Indian Tribes to collaborate with electric sector owners and operators on “innovative approaches…to harden and enhance resilience and reliability.”
·      Specifically targeted to help states develop resilience programs in coordination with municipal & rural electric cooperative entities “on a cost-shared basis.”
·      Additional $1 billion ($200M/yr over 5 years) to help rural and remote areas to upgrade T&D, reduce GHG, modernize the grid, increase energy efficiency.

Section 40106: Transmission Facilitation Program

·      $2.5 billion revolving loan fund for large transmission projects: new projects with 1,000+ MW transfer capacity and upgrades that achieve 500+ MW transfer capacity.
·      Prioritizes projects that: (A) use technology that enhances capacity, efficiency, resilience, or reliability, of an electric power transmission system including - (1) reconductoring of an existing electric transmission line with Advanced Conductor … ; (B) improves resilience and reliability; (C) facilitate interregional transfer capability…; and (D) … that lowers GHG emissions.

Section 40107: Deployment of Technologies to Enhance Grid Flexibility (Smart Grid Investment)

·      $3 billion ($600 million/yr) in matching grants to transmission owners and developers covering up to 50 percent of the costs associated with qualifying “Smart Grid investments” – specifically including Advanced Conductors, like ACCC® Conductor.
·      The law states that grant funding is provided “to cover expenditures related to the purchase and installation of . . . advanced transmission technologies [specifically naming Advanced Conductors] . . . applied to existing transmission facilities that increase the operational transfer capacity of a transmission network.”

DOE will be administering these Transmission IIJA Programs. DOE will issue a Notice of Intent (NOI) for each Programs describing how they would administer the program, what information and data would be required of an applicant, and the proposed timeline of the program. To date, DOE has issued a NOI (with a Request for Information) for the Transmission Facilitation Program and a Request for Information for part of the Enhancing the Resilience of the Electric Grid. The NOIs for the Grid Resilience, and Grid Flexibility Programs (Sections 40101, 40103, and 40107) are expected to be issued by DOE in the Summer with the solicitations for projects by end-of-year.

For the Transmission Facilitation Program, following receipt of comments on the NOI/RFI, DOE is expected to issue a solicitation by September. The preferred applicants will be very large 1,000 MW new line projects and large 500 MW upgrades that are “far along” on the permitting & siting process but have not yet begun construction. DOE will only offer capacity contracts in this first solicitation as a way to get transmission projects moving final funding and into construction.

The IIJA has created a tremendous opportunity for Advanced Conductor selection for near-term Transmission Projects. ACCC® Conductor, with the highest installation rate worldwide of any Advanced Conductor, has a great opportunity to satisfy many more U.S. transmission project developers as well as electric consumers with its high-efficiency, high-capacity, cost effective performance. ACCC® Conductor, especially when reconductoring on existing transmission structures can rapidly expand transmission capacity cost-effectively so that large amounts of RE can be interconnected to the grid and accelerate decarbonization.  

While SCE continues to deploy ACCC® Conductor on a number of reconductor projects throughout Southern California, they recently completed a pair of rebuild projects: Victor-Apple Valley-Hesperia and Victor-Aqueduct-Hesperia (parallel lines that split in the middle) near the Mohave desert.

Using double circuit steel monopoles to replace 1920’s era steel lattice structures, SCE rebuilt these lines to improve clearance and increase line capacity. Zadar size ACCC® Conductor was selected to replace 4-0 copper. Average span lengths were 675 feet, with spans up to 1,000 feet which included a major highway crossing and a section that traversed under a 230 kV LADWP transmission line. ACCC® Conductor for the project was provided by Lamifil and ACCC® Hardware was provided by AFL. SCE crew members worked side by side with Wilson crews and CTC Global’s ACCC Master Installer, William Allen, was onsite to provide additional support.
CTC Global's Inhouse Lab Receives ISO/IEC 17025 Test Lab Accreditation

CTC Global has received a Certificate of Accreditation under ISO/IEC 17025 from the prestigious International Accreditation Service (IAS). ISO/IEC 17025 is the international gold standard for independent testing laboratories and confirms CTC’s status as the only testing laboratory in the world certified for the full range of tests for composite carbon core, including ACCC® Core. This will enable CTC to fulfill type-testing requirements and issue type test reports to utilities from around the world on a one-stop basis.

CTC’s lab passed a comprehensive, multi-day examination of its facilities, processes and procedures, and verification of compliance with the full range of requirements spelled out by the ISO/IEC 17025:2017 Standard.

CTC Global’s Chief Executive Officer, J.D. Sitton stated: “This certification demonstrates once again that CTC Global is the world’s leader in developing, manufacturing and testing high performance composite cores for electrical transmission and distribution overhead conductors. CTC works hard to build trust through transparency and to support its customers and manufacturing partners with excellent products, and world-class technical solutions. The certification helps to accomplish this.”

The scope of the accreditation includes a multitude of ASTM, IEC, ISO, ANSI and CIGRE test protocols and standards for testing the physical, mechanical, thermal, performance and longevity attributes of composite cores and composite core conductors and connectors.
ACCC® Conductor is currently reducing CO2 emissions by over 3.5 million metric tons every year - the equivalent of removing over 750,000 cars from the road
ACCC® ULS Conductor Offers Added Strength and Reduced Sag

First deployed on a 1.4 kilometer lake crossing in Africa in 2013, The ACCC® ULS Conductor offers greater strength, a lower coefficient of thermal expansion and higher modulus of elasticity than the standard ACCC® Conductor core. The added strength and lighter weight can enable longer spans and the higher modulus and increased stiffness reduces sag and blow out during high wind conditions. Improved stiffness can also reduce sag under heavy ice load conditions.

Dozens of engineers have specified ACCC® ULS Conductor for projects, worldwide, and the ULS version of the ACCC® Conductor has served our clients well. The ACCC® ULS Conductor is available in many sizes and offers transmission engineers added design flexibility.

The ACCC® ULS Conductor can be ordered with Type 1350-O fully annealed aluminum or as an AZR version with Aluminum-Zirconium thermal resistant alloy for even higher overall conductor strength.

The photograph below shows a 1.6 km (~1 mile) river crossing in Mozambique completed by Bouygues. Watch Installation Video
ACCC AZR Conductor – Expanding the Capabilities of the ACCC® Conductor Using Aluminum Zirconium Alloy to Combat Extreme Ice Loads

ACCC® AZR Conductor uses either the standard 310 ksi core or the higher strength 375 ksi core that is then wrapped with one or more layers of a high strength, thermal resistant aluminum-zirconium alloy. While conventional ACCC® Conductors typically use fully annealed aluminum to maximize conductivity, the ACCC AZR Conductor offers nearly the same efficiency, but far greater overall strength. The added strength and increased tensile modulus mitigates conductor sag under heavy wind or ice loads, or very long spans. To learn more visit www.ctcglobal.com
CTC Global's Free Conductor Comparison Program CCP™ Software is Available Online

CTC Global is pleased to announce that our highly regarded Conductor Comparison Program (CCP™) software is now available online. The new web-based version has all the features found in the Excel version, which has been replaced and will no longer be supported. The new version is designed to make it easier to use, and it also has some new features. Having CCP online will make it easier to keep it up-to-date with new wire files and other data, and to add improvements as they are made. Users will always know they have the current version every time they log in. CCP is also compatible with tablets.

Registration to use CCP requires only a valid email address and password. Users may also use CCP as a guest however, saving and export features are only available to registered users.

Thank you for using our CCP. We welcome your feedback. For technical support, please contact ccphelp@ctcglobal.com
Looking for ACCC® Conductor Hardware?
Check out our Supplier Parts Database

CTC Global added a new Hardware Supplier Parts Database to our website. The database will help you find all of the hardware components you need to install ACCC® Conductor. The database shows which hardware manufacturers offer the parts you might need in your particular region while offering many options. 
If you need any additional support please contact info@ctcglobal.com
CTC Global Factory Video
CTC Global proudly works with top-tier manufacturing partners worldwide
ACCC® Conductor is an internationally patented and trademark registered product of CTC Global Corporation. The ACCC® Conductor is manufactured in association with 35 qualified and licensed international stranding partners. If you are interested in the ACCC® Conductor, please contact CTC Global to make sure your supplier is authorized to produce and deliver ACCC® Conductor in your area. Thank You. 
CTC Global, Inc. 2026 McGaw Avenue Irvine,
CA 92614 Phone: +1 949.428.8500