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Wire and Cable


FERC Complaint Targets Duke, PJM Transmission Planning

A coalition of large energy consumers and ratepayer advocates has filed a complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), urging the agency to prohibit transmission owners from independently planning "local" transmission projects exceeding 100 kilovolts (kV). The coalition argues...

Outage Management & Restoration


Outage Management Review: When the Lights Go Out

The occurrence of severe weather events is on the rise at an alarming rate. According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, extreme weather events that used to happen once every 40 years now occur as frequently as every six years in some regions; severe weather is expected to become even more frequent...

Distribution Protection


Coping with Extreme Weather Events

How to optimize the entire outage lifecycle BY RICK NICHOLSON, Ventyx The extreme weather just keeps coming. In 2012, there were 11 outages due to severe weather costing at least $1 billion. The year of 2013 had its share as well. More and more, the scale and variety of such major events are...

Conductors & Materials


The Evolution / Revolution of Overhead Conductors… and why it matters

Brief Background: In the early 1900's Aluminum Conductor Steel Reinforced (ACSR) conductor was developed to replace copper wires, due to the war effort when copper was needed for munitions. In the 1970's growing demand for electricity inspired the development of higher capacity Aluminum Conductor...

Pole Line Hardware


Disaster & Recovery


Emergency Response Kitting

Equipping utilities to restore power quickly and efficiently BY JOE D’ORAZIO, HD Supply Power Solutions In the days before Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast of the United States, knocking out power from North Carolina to Maine and as far inland as Western Pennsylvania, utility contractors were...

Overhead T&D

Transmission Line Design

Taking 3-D drawing techniques to new technological heights

BY BOB ZAPPITELLI, & HAROLD HARKONEN, Nordmin Engineering

Historically, transmission line design and drafting has been an arduous task. It often involved an iterative manipulation of several parameters to achieve a final solution. The common output of this effort is a two-dimensional plan and profile drawing that links the various design stages involved. These drawings show the location and elevation of all natural- and human-made features that...

Overhead T&D Articles