How to Improve the Efficiency, Capacity, Reliability and Resilience
of the Electric Power Grid using ACCC® Conductor
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CTC Global
High Performance Conductors for a Low Carbon World™
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ACCC® News - February 2023
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CTC Global - We're Not Just a Pretty Face
Since 2003, CTC Global has focused on developing the world’s most advanced bare overhead conductors, ancillary components, and supplementary technologies to help our customers tackle their toughest T&D challenges. We are 100% focused on helping Utilities and Project Developers build the most efficient, reliable, and robust electric power grids to best serve their customers while helping minimize environmental impact and GHG emissions.
We are very fortunate to enjoy the continued support of more than 35 conductor and 11 hardware manufacturing partners to efficiently serve regional demand, with ACCC® Core supplied from any of our four ACCC® Core production and test facilities spread around the globe. The experience CTC Global has gained installing ACCC® Conductor at more than 1,100 projects in 65 countries – in every imaginable environmental condition – helps our team of 79 ACCC® Master Installers do an outstanding job of ensuring the success of all of our customer’s ACCC® Installations.
CTC Global’s Application Engineering Team, Customer Fulfilment Staff, and Logistics Personnel do a remarkable job helping our customers select and receive the best overhead conductor solutions in the least amount of time at the lowest cost.
CTC Global also maintains an ISO/IEC 17025 Certified Lab at our California headquarters that puts us far ahead of the growing list of competitors. While the ACCC® Conductor has often been copied, its quality and consistency has never been duplicated. If your project is important to you, it’s equally important to us. We are here when you need us and stand ready to help. If you have any questions or need immediate assistance please email news@ctcglobal.com
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ACCC® Conductor is Combatting Climate Change
ACCC® Conductor line loss reductions are currently saving ~10,400,577 MWh per year. At the international average of 0.925 pounds of CO2 per kWh, that equates to reducing CO2 emissions by 4,365,033 metric tons per year. This can be translated into powering 970,656 homes in the U.S. or removing 948,920 cars from the road. Assuming the lines were being fed by thermal power plants that would also equate to saving 124 billion gallons of water – or filling 190,000 Olympic size swimming pools. (The average thermal plant uses ~12,000 gallons of water per MWh). Cumulatively, the ACCC® Conductor has reduced CO2 by ~22,966,850 metric tons.
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Critical European Interconnector Energized Using ACCC® Conductor
The newly upgraded Avelgem-Avelin 380 kV line provides a critical connection between two major European Transmission System Operators, Elia and RTE. The line also delivers a major plank towards achieving Europe’s TYNDP (Ten Year Network Development Plan) goals and European solidarity in electricity supply.
On the Elia side, the upgrade of one circuit using ACCC® Antwerp ULS effectively doubles the transmission capacity from 1.5GW to 3GW, sufficient to supply three million households. This upgrade delivers three key goals for Elia: security of supply, market integration and future-proofing to accommodate renewables generation.
Important for Elia was the leverage of existing routes with the minimum possible disruption. On the Elia side, this required the upgrading of a 23 kilometer line running between Avelgem and Avelin on the French border, with one circuit by-passing to the nearby Mastaign substation the Belgian-French border near Avelin. The ACCC® Antwerp ULS conductor used by Elia was manufactured by Lamifil in Belgium.
CTC Global further supported Lamifil and Elia with the provision of comprehensive site supervision, ensuring the conductor was correctly installed. Since two or more pull sites were operating concurrently with extensive use of mid-span joints, this required significant resourcing and coordination.
Elia first tested ACCC® Conductor in 2009; since then, more than 2,000 kilometers of this conductor has been installed on their network on both 150 kV and 380 kV backbone networks. “We have gained great expertise and experience in this conductor technology in the intervening years,” advised Jean-François Goffinet, Elia’s technical lead. “Elia has also worked closely with CTC Global and Lamifil to develop experience-led innovations, such as the ACCC InfoCore® installation inspection system and other enhancements.”
“European TSOs are increasingly implementing Advanced Conductors on their networks,” advised Peter Hughes, CTC Global’s VP Europe. “TSOs and DSOs quickly see that this technology delivers not only lowest Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), but also greatly simplified permitting and lowest overall project costs. The Avelgem-Avelin project is a textbook case of the benefits Advanced Conductor technology bring.”
The Avelgem-Avelin line was energized on November 4th and officially opened on December 2nd in a ceremony involving dignitaries from both RTE and Elia, as well as regional government.
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CTC Global participated in NASEO’s 2023 Energy Policy Outlook Conference on February 7-10 in Washington, D.C. CTC Global displayed an information table at the conference where David Townley, CTC Global Director of Public Policy, interacted with the NASEO attendees by providing information, answering questions, and educating attendees on the many benefits of ACCC® Conductors (and advanced conductors more broadly). He also participated in a breakout session Wednesday afternoon centered around grid enhancing technologies including reconductoring on existing structures for a more resilient and cleaner grid. Anne McDowell, CTC Global’s VP of Commercial Operations also attended and participated in advanced conductor policy discussions with other attendees.
The NASEO Energy Policy Outlook Conference is an annual policy event where top state and federal energy policymakers, private sector leaders, and other change makers from around the country discuss the current policy topics and issues that are being developed. This year’s theme, “Clean Energy Abundance: An Economic and Climate Advantage,” features in-depth discussions of the critical investments on both the demand-side and the supply-side that are needed for a decarbonized, affordable, and resilient electricity grid, as well as the latest developments from Congress and the Administration.
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Reconductoring with Advanced Conductors Broadly Discussed at NARUC Meeting
CTC Global actively participated and co-sponsored the NARUC (National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners) 2023 Winter Policy Summit in Washington DC, February 12-15.
Reconductoring and Advanced Conductors were mentioned by speakers in several session including by the Secretary of Energy, The Honorable Jennifer Granholm, in her opening General Session address: “The Changing Energy Landscape and Regulatory Challenges.” Later that morning at a Committee on Electricity session, Reconductoring, Advanced Conductors, and other Grid-Enhancing Technologies were discussed by DOE’s Deputy Director-Transmission (Grid Deployment Office) and Utility panelists Terron Hill (National Grid) and Digaunto Chatterjee (Eversource).
Reconductoring with Advanced Conductors on existing structures was recognized as one action that can be taken to rapidly add more transmission capacity to the grid so more clean energy can be interconnected to the grid.
Because of the increased attention that Reconductoring and Advanced Conductors received from speakers and panelists, the CTC table-top information area was actively engaged by an assortment of Summit participants seeking to know what the “buzz” was all about.
Anne McDowell, VP Commercial Operations and David Townley, Director of Public Policy, interacted with NARUC attendees providing information, answering questions, and educating summit participants on the many benefits of using Advanced Conductors, and especially the ACCC® Conductor. During the sessions a definite increase in interest and awareness of Advanced Conductors by policymakers and industry participants was observed. Dave Townley and good friend Bill White pictured below.
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Always a Pleasure to Host Visitors at CTC Global |
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CTC Global was honored by visit earlier this month from the Algerian Ministry of Industry, the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Trade Commission |
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Success at Elecrama 2023
CTC Global was very pleased to participate at Elecrama 2023 at the India Expo Mart, Greater Noida NCR, India. Hitesh Mundhada, CTC Global Vice President South Asia stated: “Elecrama 2023 was a great experience. This is the world’s largest electrical exhibition with over 350,000 visitors and more than 1,000 exhibitors. CTC Global was thrilled with the overwhelming response we received all five days. It was great to spend time with our existing customers, partners, friends, and many industry leaders. We discussed important topics related to the growth of the power sector, associated challenges faced by utilities, and the role ACCC® Conductors are playing to help build a robust and modern grid, worldwide and especially India and South Asia.”
A special thanks to our ACCC® Conductor manufacturing partners Apar, Sterlite, Gupta and Midal, and our ACCC® Hardware manufacturing partners Sicame, Tag and PLP for visiting our booth and speaking with utility personnel from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Africa. A shout out to all of CTC Global's staff members that helped make this event very successful.
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Please Visit us at Middle East Energy in Dubai |
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Please Visit us at TechAdvantage in Nashville |
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ACCC® Project Update
72 ACCC® Conductor Installations underway
92 ACCC® Installations scheduled to start within the next 6 months
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CTC Global Offers Solutions for Any Project Type |
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There is No Substitute for the ACCC® Collet Design
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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.
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CTC Global Factory Tour Video |
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CTC Global proudly works with top-tier manufacturing partners worldwide |
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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.
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CTC Global, Inc. 2026 McGaw Avenue Irvine,
CA 92614 Phone: +1 949.428.8500
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