ACCC® News - July 2023

Advanced Reconductoring Discussed at Energy and Natural Resources Senate Hearing

The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held ‘Hearing to Examine Opportunities for Congress to Reform the Process for Permitting Electric Transmission Lines, Pipelines, and Energy Production on Federal Lands” on July 26.

During the hearing Senator Angus King (I) of Maine, in a question and answer exchange with Jason Stanek, former Chairman Maryland Public Service Commission, brought to the Committee’s attention that many utilities prefer making larger capital investments over reconductoring or other Grid Enhancing Technology (GET) deployments because FERC currently does not provide sufficient incentives. Reconductoring with Advanced Conductors or “Advanced Reconductoring” is nevertheless becoming a mainstream solution to increasing grid capacity, efficiency, reliability and resilience – which is especially important as the U.S. strives to connect hundreds of thousands of new renewable generation assets – many of which are currently held up.

Senator King stated: “One of the things that bothers me is that the incentive towards building as opposed to non-wires alternatives or reconductoring… that can minimize the capital costs.” With a sample of ACCC® Conductor in hand, Senator King went on to say: “Here’s a new conductor that will double the volume of power that will be carried, its more expensive but it will cut line losses, double the amount - you don’t have to build new towers.” Mr. Stanek responded: “State regulators have been looking at that carbon core fiber technology as well - you can do it at a fraction of the cost of building a green line transmission.” Mr. Stanek added: “So you take down the old lines and put up the new line. At the end of the day State regulators want to be cost effective because I could tell you that the only thing customers hate more than their utility bill is not having reliable electricity.”

The discussion continued and both gentlemen confirmed that individual states have mechanisms in place to encourage cost-effective transmission solutions. Several of CTC Global’s customers have seen ACCC® Conductor deployments quickly approved by their States as it offers the lowest cost and fastest means of improving grid reliability, mitigating sag infractions, and future-proofing their State’s grid.

CTC Global Attends NARUC Summer Policy Summit in Austin Texas

CTC Global was very pleased to, once again, attend and cosponsor the NARUC Summer Policy Summit in Austin, Texas. We enjoyed attending the open Public Hearing of the Joint Federal State Task Force on Electric Transmission - concurrent with the conference - which also provided interesting insights on Transmission Regulation and past, present and future trends.

CTC Global would like to thank NARUC’s Staff for their hospitality and many attendees for dropping by our table display and sharing updates. We would especially like to thank Montana Commissioner Randy Pinocci and his fellow Commissioners and Staff for sharing their update about successfully passing a new law in Montana that encourages utilities to implement Advanced Conductors and receive a higher ROI for doing so. If you would like to see a copy, please CLICK HERE



Throughout the conference, it became quite clear that regulations - and the regulatory process - must change to meet our Climate Change and Electrification Goals. Encouraging the use of Advanced Conductors and other Grid Enhancing Technologies (GETs) is a key means to reaching these critical goals in a timely and responsible way.

https://www.naruc.org/meetings-and-events/naruc-summer-policy-summits/2023-summer-policy-summit/

PacifiCorp Installs ACCC® Conductor

on New 230 kV Transmission Line

With the support of installation contractor Cache Valley Electric, PacifiCorp completed the installation of 26 kilometers of ACCC® Conductor on their new Klamath Falls to Snow Goose transmission Line in Oregon. PacifiCorp selected London size ACCC® Conductor due to its high capacity and low-sag characteristics and enable the use of a wide variety of relatively short transmission structures. The average span between structures was 380 feet with a 1,200 foot river crossing. The line also traversed a highway and railroad track. The terrain was very diverse and included steep terrain, sandy and swampy regions, a few of which are also exposed to high winds.

ACCC® Conductor for the project was supplied by CTC Global’s authorized manufacturing partner Taihan. ACCC® Hardware (using CTC Global’s patented collet system) was provided by AFL. Wagner Smith pullers, tensioners and reel stands were used. CTC Global’s Master Installer James Atwood was on site to provide training and support. Klamath Falls, Oregon is located just north of the California border approximately 250 miles northwest of Reno, Nevada. It is in a high desert region with very warm and humid summer conditions followed by very cold and snowy winter conditions. For more information, please visit www.ctcglobal.com

CTC Global Continues to Lead Advanced Conductor Innovation - in the field

As the world’s leading developer of Advanced Conductor Technology, CTC Global strives every day to raise the performance bar and help its customers streamline installations. This begins at the design stage with engineering support and our well know Conductor Comparison Software Program (CCP™), through procurement, customer service and field support.

Our most recent field innovation is a new device that is used to prevent loss of control of the conductor’s “tail” during hardware installation. If not properly controlled, the length of conductor that extends from the grip (used to tension the conductors before or after dead-ends and splices have been installed) can swing down and damage the conductor and potentially damage its core. The new device replaces short tie ropes and makes it easy and quick to ensure complete control and prevent damage.

CTC Global designed, tested and now supplies “TDZ” (Tail Drop Zero) to all of its customers. The device is a simple nylon sling of appropriate length, equipped with integrated short slings that take the place of individual tie ropes. Equipped with quick-release clips, the TDZ is easy to use and provides better assurance that the conductor is supported. It is “Day-Glo” orange and easy to see if it is being used properly from the ground. TDZ is equipped with an integrated carry bag for storage and transport between locations and jobs.

TDZ may be ordered using the Special Tools Order Form, available at: LINK

Why ASTM Standard B-987-20 is Important for all Advanced Carbon Core Conductors

To protect businesses and the public, standards and test protocols are frequently developed to help ensure that products and product replications perform as intended and are produced consistently. ASTM International (formerly known as American Society for Testing and Materials), is an international standards organization that develops and publishes technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems, and services for virtually every industry. Currently 12,575 ASTM Standards exist to protect Consumers and ensure product quality and consistency.

ASTM Standard B-987-20 “Standard Specification for Carbon Fiber Thermoset Polymer Matrix Composite Core (CFC) for use in Overhead Electrical Conductors” offers a plethora of performance and test protocols that are critical to the performance, integrity and longevity of carbon fiber cores used in overhead electrical conductors that must perform reliably in extremely harsh environmental conditions for decades.

One of the most important components of ASTM B-987-20 is the requirement for a non-conductive galvanic barrier with a minimum thickness specification to prevent galvanic corrosion over the conductor’s anticipated 40+ year service life – as corrosion is one of the leading causes of premature conductor failure – that can lead to broken conductors, power outages, wildfires, and other tragic outcomes.

While corrosion of aluminum and steel used in legacy ACSR conductors will occur in wet conditions, which can be exacerbated by salt air, industrial or agricultural pollutants, galvanic corrosion can also occur. Galvanic corrosion is an electrochemical process in which one metal corrodes preferentially (and at an accelerated rate) when in contact with a different type of metal in the presence of an electrolyte, such as water. While steel core wires are often coated with zinc to reduce the rate of galvanic corrosion between the conductor’s core and aluminum strands, the risk of galvanic corrosion with carbon fiber cores is far greater due to their substantial difference in electrode potential as shown in the chart below.

"Carbon fiber and aluminum cannot be allowed to make direct physical contact when water or other electrolyte may be present"



If you are considering carbon fiber core conductors, please be advised that adherence to the established ASTM B-987-20 Standard – and especially its requirement for a robust non-conductive galvanic barrier – can mean the difference between a conductor that lasts many decades in use or one that fails prematurely. If you have any questions, please contact news@ctcglobal.com

Grid Rewiring - An Informative Article by Energy Wire

The well written article discusses Advanced Reconductoring which "holds the potential to help break a growing logjam in delivering new renewable power to meet the Biden administration’s steep clean energy goals."

The article, which includes insights provided by a number of industry leaders, discusses how state-of-the-art carbon fiber and aluminum alloy materials are being used to increase to capacity of the existing electric power grid.

One of the article's sources, Commissioner Randy Pinocci of the Montana Public Service Commission, also mentioned that a new law in Montana allows the regulatory commission to award higher returns to developers who install Advanced Conductors. Please take a quick look. If you have questions or comments, please forward them to news@ctcglobal.com

Energy Wire Article Link

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