Transmission and Distribution
Transmission and Distribution
Transmission and Distribution
COVER STORY:
Island Connections:
Horizontal Directional Drilling
in South Carolina, p. 14
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OUR TEAM HAS THE NECA IBEW
32
DEPARTMENTS
6 Global Viewpoint
14 Infrastructure Deal Supports
Utilities’ Journey Down
Current Path
14 Island Connections: Horizontal By TERESA HANSEN, VP of Content
Electrification:
Endeavor Business Media, LLC
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A
s I write this month’s column, the In addition, the deal provides $7.5 billion to build out a
“Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal” national network for EV charging stations. This investment
has just been passed by Congress support’s the administration’s goal of creating a network of
and will soon be signed into law by one-half million EV chargers.
President Joe Biden. The deal’s price The complete Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal contains
tag is about $1.2 trillion and is a ma- much more than this, but these are the three pieces that will
jor piece of President Biden’s Build likely have the biggest impact on electric utilities and grid own-
Back Better plan. According to the ers and operators. This investment is expected to roll out over
fact sheet released by the White House, the next 10 years. By now, you likely have heard or read many
the legislation appropriates more than opinions on this piece of legislation. For that reason, I will say
$65 billion to upgrade the electric power infrastructure, only that I think the money can be put to good use and I’m
making it “the largest investment in clean energy transmission pleased that our lawmakers could come to an agreement, pass
and grid in American history.” The money will be used to build this legislation.
thousands of miles of new transmission lines to carry more I do want to point out, however, that long before this legisla-
clean electricity as additional renewable energy and other tion was penned, U.S. electric utilities were already investing
clean energy technologies are developed and deployed across billions of dollars in transmission systems to improve reliability
the transmission system. and resiliency, and to accommodate the increases in renew-
able energy being added to the system. Ac-
Annual spending on the electric transmission system by major U.S. utilities (2000–2019) cording to a release from the Energy Infor-
billion 2019 dollars
mation Administration (EIA) issued in late
$45
March of this year, annual spending on the
U.S. transmission system by major U.S. elec-
tric utilities increased from $9.1 billion (2019
$30 new
investment dollars) in 2000 to $40 billion in 2019. This
$40 billion included about $23.5 billion in-
$15
vestment in new transmission infrastructure,
operations and $16.6 billion for operations and mainte-
and
maintenance nance of existing transmission systems. The
$0 EIA release cites FERC reports that indicate
2000 2005 2010 2015 spending on transmission infrastructure
leveled off a bit recently, but still rose 3%
Annual spending on the electric transmission system by major U.S. utilities (2015–2019) from 2018 to 2019. The two EIA graphics
billion 2019 dollars
provide more detail about how and where
$45
other utilities are investing.
underground lines
towers
There’s no doubt that an infusion of
overhead lines new government money will help prepare the
$30 investment
poles
grid for the energy transition. In addition,
station
equipment
the heightened public awareness created
$15 other by this infrastructure deal could help utili-
station equipment operation
load dispatch ties get more support from state utility com-
and
power lines missioners, public officials, private sector
maintenance
transmission
$0 investors and maybe even customers. The
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
EIA’s findings on grid investment, how-
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Financial Reports, as ever, reveal what most of us familiar with
accessed by Ventyx Velocity Suite
the electric power industry already know:
The legislation also provides another $50 billion to make Utilities will continue to make investments with or without ex-
the nation’s infrastructures more resilient against the impacts tra government funding, where and when needed to provide
of climate change, cyberattacks, and extreme weather events. safe, reliable, affordable electricity as we transition to a cleaner
This funding will go toward not only the electric infrastruc- and more electrified society.
ture, but also water systems, roads, communication systems, This month and every month T&D World magazine brings
government buildings and more. Again, according to the you stories about the technologies and solutions the world’s
White House brief this will be the largest investment in the utilities are developing and implementing to keep pace with the
resilience of physical and natural systems in American history. energy transition. I hope you enjoy this month’s stories.
500 MW HVDC Link Provides Power Between Ireland And United Kingdom
Greenlink Interconnector will increase power supply secu- HVDC technology offers the most efficient means of trans-
rity and support the integration of renewable energy with a mitting large amounts of power over long distances. Siemens
5oo megawatt HVDC (high-voltage direct current) power link Energy will be responsible for the overall system design and
between Ireland and Britain’s power grids. Greenlink signed the construction of two converter stations located close to
a contract with the consortium of Siemens Energy and Sumi- the Great Island transmission substation in County Wexford
tomo to supply HVDC cable and converter technology for the (Ireland) and the Pembroke transmission substation in Pem-
118 mile (190 km) interconnection. brokeshire (Wales).
The power can flow in either direction, depending on sup- Both converter stations will use Siemens Energy’s market
ply and demand in each country. It also allows both countries leading HVDC PLUS technology with modular multi-level ar-
to benefit from increased grid stability, security of power sup- rangement (VSC-MMC) to convert Alternating Current to Di-
ply and cost-effective growth and integration of low carbon rect Current and vice versa. Linked via an HVDC XLPE (cross-
energy. Work will begin at the start of 2022. linked polyethylene) cable system by Sumitomo, the stations
James O’Reilly, CEO of Greenlink, commented: “We are will enable the low-loss transport of energy with a voltage of
delighted to have reached another significant milestone in 320 kV. Siemens Energy’s scope of supply also includes a Ser-
the delivery of the Greenlink project with the signing of the vice and Maintenance Agreement with an initial duration of
contract with Siemens Energy and Sumitomo Electric. Green- seven years.
link is one of Europe’s most important energy infrastructure Beatrix Natter, executive vice president Transmission at
projects, contributing to energy security, regional investment, Siemens Energy, said: “Interconnectors like Greenlink play a
jobs, and the cost-effective integration of low carbon energy. critical role in strengthening the share of renewable sources
We have chosen a consortium with exceptional experience, in the European energy mix and bolstering energy securi-
skill, and standing in the energy and engineering sector for ty. We at Siemens Energy are very pleased that Greenlink
this major undertaking. We will be looking to maximize local chose our state-of-the-art HVDC technology, adding a new
supply chain benefits during the three-year construction pe- lighthouse project to our proven track record of 10 HVDC
riod, and we look forward to working with Siemens Energy and projects in implementation and more than 59 successfully
Sumitomo Electric towards successful commissioning in 2024.” completed projects worldwide.”
December 2021 | T&D World 11
CHARGING AHEAD BY GENE WOLF, TECHNICAL WRITER
Managing Vulnerabilities
Since threats can’t be avoided, how about minimizing them?
W
ell, 2021 is almost a wrap. With the end of the The best hardening technology depends on which type of
year, there are a lot of “year in review” features hit- threat is being discussed and what the speaker feels is needed.
ting the news. One of the major focuses has been Also, threats to the power delivery infrastructure come in
global climate change and the extreme events many forms. One may be geophysical events, electromagnetic
that happened. NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric pulses is another, and cyber-attacks yet another. The list goes
Administration) reported that for the first nine months (lat- on, but you get the idea.
est available data) of 2021, 18 weather-related disasters hit Typically when grid hardening is discussed, many assume
the U.S. Other parts of the world have also had their share of it means having a grid that is event-proof (i.e., able to with-
these climate change catastrophes, but let’s look at two partic- stand any threat), but that isn’t a realistic approach. A more
ular storms that aptly illustrate the impact these events have. reasonable approach is to address vulnerability management
Winter Storm Uri, and Hurricane Ida affected large geo- on the grid. A system that can quickly adapt to changing con-
graphical areas and large portions of the power delivery sys- ditions while minimizing infrastructure damage may be more
tem in unexpected ways unique to climate change. The wrath reliable.
of Uri extended from Canada, across the U.S., and into North- That is exactly what utilities, grid operators, and other
ern Mexico. Uri left almost 10 million people without electric- power delivery stakeholders had in mind when they began
ity for an extended period. It was especially hard on ERCOT’s the smart grid modernization plan for the grid. These digital
(Electric Reliability Council of Texas) power grid. The inter- technologies produced intelligent systems within the grid that
connection came within a few minutes of total collapse. can respond rapidly to changes. They provide a structure for
Hurricane Ida did a lot of damage in the Caribbean, and hardening based on being able to recover quickly from harsh
then the warm waters of the Gulf increased its strength off the conditions rather than trying to be event-proof.
Louisiana coast. When it hit the U.S, it inflicted catastroph-
ic damage to the power system. Once on land, it became a IT/OT & Modernization
strong tropical storm causing overwhelming flooding with As the modernization process advanced, a connectiveness
high winds from the deep south to New England Power out- between Information technology (IT) and operational tech-
ages all along its route were common. It knocked out all eight nology (OT) took place. Previously these two systems have
transmission lines powering New Orleans and took many days been developing on two separate tracks, but now they are
to restore power. working together. It’s called the IT/OT convergence and it’s
a game changer. The convergence has led to some powerful
Why’s It Never Simple? applications when it comes to making a flexible power grid.
According to NOAA, climate change is making these storms Taking OT data and using IT methodologies allowed that
more severe, costly, and numerous each year. All of which physical data to be quickly converted into actionable infor-
points out why the subject of grid hardening has also been mation, and advanced asset management platforms, distrib-
popping up throughout 2021. Grid hardening is a difficult uted energy management systems, and distribution network
subject to address. There are so many threats facing the power applications became possible. Applying these applications
grid and so many solutions being offered. Literally there is no has permitted the asset rich substation to reap some amaz-
one solution that fits all conditions. It’s reminiscent of that old ing benefits. Interconnectivity results in faster data exchange
saying, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” between equipment, which makes it possible for substation
12 T&D World | December 2021
CHARGING AHEAD
automation (SA) protection and control systems, and provides said, “Cybersecurity is not a single solution for one problem.
operational advantages. It requires a holistic (i.e., one system) methodology involving
According to a report from Research And Markets, a re- multiple approaches to protect the substation’s infrastructure.
search company, the global SA market size is estimated to be Today’s automation systems interconnect with multiple net-
about US$39.9 billion in 2021 and is being projected to reach works, systems, and settings.”
approximately US$ 54.2 billion by 2026. The report said, “The Graf continued, “The key question here is how do you or-
market has a promising growth potential due to several fac- chestrate a cybersecurity system to detect threats and protect
tors, including the surge requirement to retrofit conventional all of the substation’s equipment and networks. Those ele-
substations, increasing investments in smart cities and smart ments are supplied by several manufacturers and report over
grid infrastructure development projects.” various communications networks, which is where interoper-
Research And Markets identified the following suppliers as ability standards are so important to this approach. Legacy
key players in this market; Cisco, Eaton Corp, General Elec- components are too valuable to replace unless they are near-
tric, Hitachi Energy, Schneider Electric, Siemens Energy, and ing the end of their useful life.”
Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories to name a few. Let’s look Graf went on saying, “If you want to properly harden the
a little deeper at these substation applications to get a better substation it’s a process of detection and protection using
understanding of the topic. physical security, OT behavior, and cybersecurity integrated
into one complete scheme. It’s necessary because any security
Critical Infrastructure system needs to understand the full context of the operation
Eaton defines a SA system as a collection of hardware and soft- to be effective. The Hitachi Energy method presents the op-
ware components used to monitor and control an electrical erator, who isn’t a cybersecurity expert, with a monitor screen
system, both locally and remotely. showing the full picture of the situ-
They point out that SA systems also SA systems monitor the activity of the ation as it relates to the substation
automate repetitive, tedious, and in the network. It gives the opera-
error-prone activities to increase
substation’s assets in real-time with tor all of the information needed
the overall efficiency and produc- intelligent electronic devices and their to respond to what is taking place
tivity of the system. This has been associated management platforms. on the network and protect what is
made possible by their increased most critical to the system.”
interconnection with equipment and other substations. Technological transitions like these have grown in popu-
These substations produce real-time data, which permits larity because they give users an advantage. Fast data analysis
higher self-awareness along with great levels of control. IT/ supplies actionable information that allows higher reliability
OT advancements have led to the ability of networking substa- and greater levels of control. This monitoring and analysis
tions that work together with little or no human interaction. also offers improved operations and overall efficiency by
Each generation improves the SA’s protection and control sys- identifying vulnerabilities in critical systems and closing
tems abilities, but IT/OT also increases the vulnerabilities of gaps before they can be used by hackers.
the grid. It does this by providing more access points for hack-
ers to infiltrate the network, but tools like SA can counteract Proactive Response
those cyber-attacks. It’s referred to as a proactive response, which is the resilience
SA systems monitor the activity of the substation’s assets in needed to meet security risks that can compromise system per-
real-time with intelligent electronic devices and their associat- formance. Rather than being a vulnerability, the SA system’s
ed management platforms. It takes the entire facility to a new abilities can strengthen the system to cybersecurity threats.
dimension of digital protection. Siemens Energy recently an- It not only represents a powerful tool in the utility’s grid
nounced a new application for monitoring and responding to reinforcing toolbox, it’s a weapon for improved cybersecurity.
cyber threats against IT/OT networks. It uses their Managed By combining SA with advanced technologies like big-
Detection and Response system, which is powered by Eos.ii’s data analytics and cloud-based computing, real-time action-
artificial intelligence based software. able data is generated quickly. It’s decision making on ste-
Siemens Energy explains, “The system provides visibil- roids, but that’s only part of it. Taking that to another level
ity and context across industrial operating environments.” requires adding artificial intelligence (AI) and digital twin
Keeping the electrical grid safe is getting more challenging technology, which adds situational awareness for predictive
as more intelligent devices are integrated into intelligent and preventative capabilities.
networks. This connectiveness is revamping ideas and ap- SA combined with an AI enhanced virtual twin boosts cy-
proaches to cybersecurity. bersecurity by having a digital model that understands when
a cyber intruder is trying to cause problems and shuts them
End to End Security down quickly. This approach is more efficient for address-
Talking with Pierre-Alain Graf, senior vice president, global ing other threats to the power grid too. It is more effective to
business, Hitachi Energy, revealed some interesting aspects minimize the hazards with fast responding applications than
of Hitachi Energy’s approach to cybersecurity for SA. Graf trying to make an impervious grid. And it’s achievable!
December 2021 | T&D World 13
Island
Connections:
Horizontal Directional
Drilling in South Carolina
Co-op uses an extruded-dielectric cable
in the 115-kV underground transmission
project to connect Johns Island
and Wadmalaw Island.
By JIMMY TINDAL, Central Electric Power Cooperative Inc., JAY WILLIAMS and RACHEL MOSIER, Power
Delivery Consultants Inc., DENNIS DOHERTY, Kleinfelder Inc., and ABHINAV HULI, Haley & Aldrich, Inc.
A
new 115-kV transmission line was needed to increase an extruded-dielectric cable would be preferable because of the
reliability of service to Johns Island and Wadmalaw reduced chance of environmental damage and lower mainte-
Island, both located near Charleston, South Carolina, nance requirements — an important consideration because of
U.S. Central Electric Power Cooperative Inc. (CEPCI) the remote location of the line. The crossing begins on a street
owns the statewide electric system that provides electric ser- within a Habitat for Humanity community on Johns Island and
vice to all 20 of South Carolina’s electric co-ops, including ends in a gated residential community on Wadmalaw Island.
Berkeley Electric Cooperative Inc. (BEC), which provides Installation on the water bottom was ruled out because
retail electric service to the residents of both islands. The of the environmental sensitivity of the area, including more
new transmission line had to cross Bohicket Creek, a waterway than 1500 ft (457 m) of protected seagrasses in marsh areas.
approximately 3400 ft (1036 m) wide, including extensive Therefore, horizontal directional drilling (HDD) was selected
marshlands. An overhead crossing was not feasible, requiring for the project.
CEPCI to evaluate underground and underwater options.
Although almost all the transmission-voltage cable crossings Project Scope
to islands along the South Carolina coast use high-pressure gas- This HDD crossing project was CEPCI’s first underground
filled (HPGF) pipe-type cables, CEPCI’s evaluation concluded transmission cable project. The utility retained Power Delivery
Environmental Concerns
Several areas of environmental and social sensi-
tivity for the potential crossing were addressed in
the permitting and design stage as well as during
construction operation:
• Coastal seagrasses are protected in South
Carolina. Initial work included mapping the
seagrass areas along potential alignments
and following the state’s best management
practices for working in coastal seagrass
The transmission line had to cross Bohicket Creek and the surrounding wetlands. Central
Electric Power Cooperative Inc. decided an overhead crossing would have too much impact areas, including extensive stormwater
on the environment, so an underwater and underground crossing was envisioned. Photo by control programs.
Thierrydehove, Dreamstime.
• The state is protective of its Grand Oak
trees — southern live oak trees with trunk
diameters greater than 24 inches (610 mm).
• An Angel Oak tree near construction was
estimated to be 400 years to 500 years
old. Grand Oak trees were protected on
both sides of the crossing, requiring minor
changes to the project alignment and
protective barriers outside the tree drip lines.
• Stormwater runoff was controlled carefully
and monitored during construction
operations.
• Construction noise was minimized on both
sides of the crossing, and care was taken to
avoid tracking mud from the construction
South Carolina is protective of the trees in this area, such as the picturesque “Angel Oak” areas onto the roadways.
pictured here. Oak trees were protected on both sides of the crossing, requiring minor changes
to the project alignment and protective barriers outside the tree drip lines. Photo by Dccastelhano, Multiple permitting authorities were in-
Dreamstime volved. CEPCI and Haley & Aldrich Inc. (H&A),
16 T&D World | December 2021
UNDERGROUND INSTALLATION
A specialized reel trailer. CEPCI chose extruded-dielectric, XLPE-insulated cables for this project. Photo by Power Delivery Consultants, Inc.
the environmental and civil consultant on the project, coordi- • South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental
nated to address the permitting requirements and applications Control’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource
for numerous agencies: Management
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service • South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers • State Historic Preservation Officers and Tribal Historic
• U.S. Coast Guard Preservation Officers
• Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission • Charleston County
UV resistant. PSP-91336-MG
It will not rust or corrode.
PSP-91330-MG
“WARNING & ELECTRIC”, is imprinted on the
top in raised lettering.
The underground portion of the project required a 32-inch reamer. Photo by Power Delivery Consultants, Inc.
Cable System Design
Close cooperation among CEPCI, its consultants and the con- Historically, HPGF pipe-type cables have been chosen for
struction contractors, Mears Group Inc. and New River Electrical crossings such as this because they can be installed splice-
Corp., ensured permitting and environmental control proceeded free for lengths greater than 1.5 miles (2.4 km) and a bore
smoothly, with minimal delays in approving and implementing diameter of only 12 inches (305 mm) or so is required for
the project. the 8-inch steel cable pipe that contains the three phases.
The pipe is rugged and pipe-type cable has an excellent and
HDD and Duct Design long history with HDD crossings as well as land installations.
H&A’s analysis of soil borings along the alignment showed a However, potential pipe corrosion could allow leaks of the
depth of about 54 ft (16.5 m) below the water bottom would be 200-psig nitrogen pressure necessary to maintain electrical
in a geological formation known as Cooper Marl, and it had integrity of the paper insulation, which was a concern because
ideal civil and thermal properties for the planned 24-inch di- cable failure would require replacing all three phases.
ameter bore. PDC’s cable rating calculations verified the desired
800-A rating could be achieved with cables at that depth. H&A
determined the preferred bore entry and exit locations to avoid
the marsh areas, and it performed calculations for expected
drilling conditions and installation of the cable ducts. These
calculations were confirmed by the HDD contractor as part of
the 100% design of the project.
Details of the drill were as follows:
• 323,000-lb (146,510-kg) thrust and pullback drill rig was
placed on Johns Island.
• Gyroscope steering system provided guidance of the
pilot hole to improve the navigation ability of the HDD
contractor.
• 1700-ft (518-m) pipe laydown area was staged in the
existing overhead line right-of-way on Wadmalaw Island.
After difficulties arose in the initial stage of the pullback
operation, the contractor elected to increase the bore diameter
to 32 inches (813 mm).
Drilling went well, although unusual resistance was encoun-
tered pulling back the duct bundle. The bundle was removed
and the bore size increased. With those changes in place, pull-
back was uneventful aside from a minor inadvertent return
area near the drill entry point, which was quickly plugged Cable installation went smoothly, due in part to liberal application of lubricant.
and cleaned. Photo by Power Delivery Consultants, Inc.
ft (18 m). Although laminate shields have a good operating JAY WILLIAMS (j.williams@pdc-cables.com) is the founder and executive engineer
history for land installations, CEPCI decided to specify the at Power Delivery Consultants Inc. He has specialized in transmission cable systems
the sheath with proven reliability, lead, as commonly used for since joining Consolidated Edison Inc. in 1965. Williams has been a project engineer
submarine cable applications. for more than a dozen trenchless installations for both pipe-type and extruded-
The added weight of the lead sheath was a major concern dielectric cables as well as a great many research projects and other applications
in cable pulling, but calculations showed it was acceptable for of transmission cables for conventional and novel installations.
the 3400-ft length. Placing a temperature-monitoring fiber-
optic cable under the lead sheath was considered, but CEPCI RACHEL MOSIER (r.mosier@pdc-cables.com) is the principal engineer at Power
determined a separate multifiber cable in the duct was prefer- Delivery Consultants Inc. With over 25 years in the utility industry, she has extensive
able to permit multiple single-mode communications fibers experience with extruded-dielectric transmission cable systems through 500 kV.
as well as a few multimode fibers for distributed temperature She is active with national and international technical committees.
sensing. This makes it possible to replace the fiber-optic cable
in the future. DENNIS DOHERTY (DDoherty@kleinfelder.com) is a senior principal professional with
CEPCI considered installing and terminating a fourth cable Kleinfelder Inc. He served as the project engineer for Haley and Aldrich Inc. on the
for quick connection if one of the primary cables failed, as has CEPCI HDD project. For more than 20 years, Doherty has specialized in installing
been done on other river-crossing cable circuits. However, since high-voltage cables underground using various trenchless technology methods,
alternate paths existed to feed Wadmalaw and Johns Islands for including horizontal directional drilling. In collaboration with Power Delivery Consultants
the time it would take to obtain new cable, the utility opted to Inc., he also coauthored the Electric Power Research Institute’s Quality Guidelines for
install a fourth duct that could be used for replacement cable Grouting Procedures for Large Casings Used for Transmission Cable Systems.
if a failure occurred.
The cable and terminations were supplied by LS Cable. The ABHINAV HULI (AHuli@haleyaldrich.com) is trenchless practice leader at Haley &
cable was delivered to the port of Charleston on three individual Aldrich, Inc. He specializes in the technical design of new utility conduit installation
reels, trucked to the local co-op’s storage yard and brought to using trenchless technological applications and has over a decade of industry experi-
the installation site on New River Electrical’s special reel trailers ence working on trenchless project from conception to construction. He has worked
when needed for installation. Cable installation went smoothly, on numerous large scale microtunnel and Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) projects
due in part to the liberal application of lubricant. along the east coast with most of the large HDD projects being 6,000+ ft drills.
The area from the end of the HDD ducts to the base of the
termination pole was directly buried, and an S-bend was placed Company Listings
in the excavation to allow termination replacement if needed, H&A | www.hayleyaldrich.com
without having to install a splice. The entire area was covered LS Cable & System | www.lscusa.com
with a weak-mix concrete for mechanical protection. Mears Group | http://www.mears.net
CEPCI had its overhead-line tower supplier design and supply New River Electrical | www.newriverelectrical.com
the transition monopoles at each end of the line. The cables were PDC | www.pdc-cables.com
ENERGIZING
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SMART UTILITY
Follows the utility industry’s progression to an automated and efficient power grid.
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PROJECTS IN PROGRESS
Shares how utilities and their partners are building out T&D infrastructure.
W
ith an ever-increasing demand for electrical energy 1. The first priority was to contend with existing underground
and to optimize the space in Singapore to accom- utility networks, water resources and sewage systems, and — go-
modate urban growth and development, SP Group ing deeper — the underground mass rapid transit tunnels (the
was faced with the need to reinforce the existing train system). In addition, consideration had to be given to the
transmission system of its utility company, SP Power Grid Ltd. buildings and infrastructure on the surface.
Singapore is a 30-mile (48-km) long island with a population 2. The second priority was to ensure stability. Some 50 m
approaching six million — all living on 730 sq km (282 sq miles). (164 ft) away from the construction site were a pair of train
With the country’s population density at 8200 per sq km (3170 tunnels, an elevated stretch of highway, a heritage park and
per sq mile), space is a major issue.Therefore, SP Group decided — perhaps the most challenging of all — the ocean 350 m
the best solution was to build underground. It is constructing away from the site. Any large-scale excavation brings problems
a large-capacity, 230-kV underground substation, the first of when the ground, retaining wall and neighboring buildings
its kind in Southeast Asia, to optimize the space aboveground. start to settle. Major ground settlement can create challenges
When complete, the new substation will replace an existing for those living and working in the area, as they may observe
230-kV substation at Labrador that is due for renewal. SP Group damage and cracks within their premises and attribute them
is collaborating with the Urban Redevelopment Authority to to the underground project.
pilot this underground substation project. On one level, a construction site is an engineering chal-
lenge to be solved, yet on another level it also is a real-world
Space and Stability concern for individuals living and working nearby. For this
With zero room for doubt, SP Group had to see exactly what was project, the selected construction site is adjacent to existing
beneath the surface, which proved to be the first challenge of infrastructures and businesses, and development in the wider
many for the pilot project. The utility company had two priorities surrounding area includes new public housing and commercial
when kicking off the project: and residential developments, so any shift in the ground could
22 T&D World | December 2021
SUBSTATION DESIGN
Underground Design
A traditional rectangular excavation
offers the smallest footprint, but that
would have come at the expense of sta-
bility. A circular excavation offers the
greatest stability, but that would have
come at the expense of wasted space
around the perimeter.
SP Group’s solution was to con-
struct the underground substation Cross-section shows four levels of underground substation, with five-story SP Group Operational Support
Centre on top.
with an unusual figure-eight, or pea-
nut, shape of two slightly overlapping
circular diaphragm walls, with a wall
in the middle to prevent them from
being pushed together. This design
was considered the best to withstand
the significant ground lateral forces
around the site.
Site Investigation
The first stage was to establish exactly
what was beneath the surface of the
selected site. The civil engineering
design specified an overall construc-
tion depth of 24 m (79 ft). To avoid
any unforeseen surprises, the initial
investigative drilling went down to a
depth of between 35 m to 50 m (115
ft to 164 ft). From the information
retrieved, a 3-D model of geology of
the site was created to interpret the
subterranean conditions.
Using the widely adopted Plaxis
3-D and ETABS finite element mod-
eling, SP Group conducted a series
Cross-sectional shows 34-story commercial tower.
of simulations to assess the stresses
and forces that would affect the excavation and subsequent of backfill material, beach sand, marine clay, estuarine, clayey
structure holding the underground substation. In-situ testing mudstone and sandstone. Evidence of brittle faults had been
considered the ground materials, namely their strength and recorded nearby, and early information from the excavation
permeability, to determine whether they could support this suggested there was a major fault zone in the underlying rock.
kind of structure. Soil and rock samples were sent for labora- Although there was no evidence of this during the excavation
tory testing to determine a more accurate assessment of the and subsequent construction, the possibility of the fault line
ground conditions. necessitated extra caution.
SP Group’s in-depth site investigation considered the com- While excavating, SP Group engaged an experienced geolo-
bination of soil, rock, water sources and water pressure. The gist to analyze any potential risks. Based on the geologist’s re-
results were used in the computer modeling, and then various port recommendations, the diaphragm walls were built deeper
simulated construction sequences were undertaken to establish into the ground where the fault line could cause weakness,
which design offered the greatest stability while simultaneously specifically to prevent any water ingress under the wall. Cement
facilitating construction. grout was added to the diaphragm wall joints and toe to make
Site drilling beyond the 24-m construction depth revealed it as watertight as possible. Also, the site’s proximity to the
solid rock, but geological features around the construction site ocean, a distance of 350 m (1150 ft), added an extra layer of
were far from solid. On-site ground conditions include layers risk and complexity.
December 2021 | T&D World 23
SUBSTATION DESIGN
Daytime view of concrete casting process at basement 4. (Concrete pumps and trucks can be seen at ground level.)
Twin-Cofferdam
Construction
Under normal circumstances, such
deep excavation requires temporary
strutting, which is both expensive
and time consuming to install. To
address this requirement, SP Group
adopted a twin-cofferdam structure
and diaphragm wall system. Trench
cutters created an excavation up
to 37 m (121 ft) deep, which was
filled with viscous bentonite slurry
to support the ground. Rebar cages,
designed for not only groundwater
and earth pressure, but also above-
building loads, were lowered into
the trench and filled with concrete,
panel by panel. The perimeter used
over 80 6-m (20-ft) wide diaphragm
wall panels for robustness.
During construction, soft black
marine clay was encountered,
which exerted significant lateral
forces. The stress increased with
Nighttime view of concrete casting process at basement 4. (Concrete pumps and trucks can be seen at ground level.)
the depth of the construction.
Therefore, the civil engineering works for this project re- When complete, the cofferdam will distribute the lateral force
quired specialized engineering planning and capabilities, pro- around each circular wall of the underground substation, but
vided by several parties. SP Group awarded the main construc- the stress ultimately will congregate at the point where the
tion contract for the underground substation to a South Korean two circular walls meet (that is, at the centre of the peanut).
24 T&D World | December 2021
SUBSTATION DESIGN
Therefore, SP Group specified the construction of a central they were able to reduce the overall size of the substation.
cross-wall to offset the pressure on these meeting points. The benefits of building a subterranean substation include
Ultimately, the underground substation will have four base- improved asset and network security. In addition to optimizing
ment floor structures contributing to the stability of the final land resources for other purposes, the underground substation
construction when it reaches its final permanent state. has a lower risk of being exposed and damaged. In terms of
convenience, the substation has been designed for easy access
Subterranean Structure to update and renew equipment as well as with cooling systems
Building the subterranean structure some 150 m (492 ft) long to prevent the buildup of excessive heat.
and 100 m (328 ft) wide involved two separate two-day concrete
pours to create a 3 m to 4 m (9.8 ft to 13.1 ft) raft slab structure as Grand Design
a base, and an innovative twin-cofferdam structure. The raft-slab In addition to the simple challenge of establishing an under-
structure took 37,000 cu m (48,394 cu yd) of concrete, poured ground substation, it must merge seamlessly with the needs
continuously in two sessions, each taking
two days. SP Group overcame this logistical
challenge in collaboration with Pan-United
Corp. Ltd.
Trucks entered the site every 60 seconds,
pouring and then returning quickly to the
concrete production plant, as one problem
was to ensure the trucks did not back up.
The solution was to convert all the check-
ing of the incoming and exiting trucks to
contactless mode, so the traffic could flow
as smoothly as the concrete. With sustain-
ability always a concern, the concrete mix
was formulated to include ground-granulat-
ed blast slag, which would have otherwise
contributed to land pollution.
An added issue was the concrete pouring
took place just after Singapore’s COVID-19
lockdown, so the site required extra health
and safety measures.
Eventually, after what was recorded by
Pan-United as the largest continuous con-
crete mass pour in Singapore, the raft-slab
structure provided a firm foundation as the
first layer of stability.
of the surrounding area as part of a sustainable and resilient central and downtown Singapore. With the expectation of a
infrastructure. Looking both aboveground and belowground, rise in electric vehicles, for example, maintaining stable and
SP Group will site its operational headquarters above the un- reliable power infrastructure is paramount. This underground
derground substation and integrate it with a high-rise grade-A substation is just one among 11,000 managed by SP Group
commercial office development. By adopting a holistic approach, that — connected by an underground cable network some
the construction of this substation underground frees up space 28,000 km (17,400 miles) in length — will drive Singapore’s
above for a 34-story development. smart energy future.
The entire development, including the underground substa- As a result of SP Group’s experience and expertise in the
tion, is due for completion in 2024, contributing to the planned design and execution of this pilot project as well as the con-
change in use of the area. SP Group has collaborated with the tinued need to conserve space in Singapore, the utility now
Urban Redevelopment Authority on this project, as part of a foresees this underground substation will be just the first of
2019 master plan for the nation. Specifically, the underground more to come.
substation sits at the centre of the Greater Southern Waterfront
and will supply electricity demand to up to eight towns, includ- RYAN WONG (ryanwong@spgroup.com.sg) holds a MSCE degree from National
ing Alexandra, Clementi, Keppel and Pasir Panjang, and the University of Singapore and a BSCE degree (with second upper class honors) from
Science Park district. Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Prior to his employment with SP Power
The underground substation is in line with Singapore’s urban Grid Ltd. (SPPG), he was with the Land Transport Authority of Singapore, managing
renewal plans and SP Group’s own United Nations’ sustainable the mass rapid transit circle line and downtown line projects and specializing in the
development goals of ensuring access to reliable, sustainable development and construction of underground space. Wong is a general manager of
and renewable energy. The plan is to release the land space SPPG, manager of the special projects branch and project director for the development
for more valuable people-centric use. Once the underground of the largest underground substation in Southeast Asia, which is integrated with the
substation is completed, the existing 230-kV substation will be SPPG operation support center and a high-rise commercial tower. Wong also was the
decommissioned and the land returned to the state, freeing senior project manager for the construction of 40-km (25-mile) transmission cable
up 3 ha (7 acres) of prime space, an area the equivalent of four tunnels, completed in 2019.
football fields.
The larger picture is the underground substation is an es- For More Information
sential element of the infrastructure that will contribute to Hyundai Engineering & Construction | www.hdec.kr
growth and livability as part of the urban renewal plans for Pan-United Concrete | www.panunited.com
ASPEN
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I
n recent decades, the growing need for electric power has interoperability between devices from different suppliers.
surfaced the need to implement increasingly efficient and reli- Thanks to the use of high-speed network technologies inside
able automation and protection systems for substations. The the substation, it was possible to develop the process bus —
development of remote substation control and automation, defined and regulated by IEC 61850-9-2 and IEC 61850-9-2LE
which supports the remote management of a plant, also has — for the transmission of measurements to the equipment
become fundamental to the operation of the electricity network. of monitoring and protection through digital protocols. The
Substation automation systems (SAS) are the new gen- centrality of transmission networks has resulted in utilities us-
eration of systems that perform the functions of protection, ing redundancy techniques aimed at strengthening the LANs
automation and control. Designed based on the functional to handle the increasing flow of information.
requirements of the IEC 61850 standard, they quickly have Today, interoperability plays an important role in the adop-
become a key component of the transmission system. In fact, tion of the process bus to enable communication from the
with the introduction of the IEC 61850 standard, utilities merging unit (MU) to the protection units. Furthermore,
evolved from engineering the functionality in a substation using the parallel redundancy protocol (PRP) and highly
with electromechanical systems to the adoption of architec- available seamless redundancy (HSR) can strengthen the
tures operating with standardized sets of protocols on high- communication network.
speed local area networks (LANs). This step also made it
possible to bring uniformity to the operation of each station, Interoperability Aspects
whereas previously they operated with proprietary solutions An essential building block of a SAS, the MU acquires current
that oftentimes differed from each other. For this reason, an and voltage signals from various transformers, converts them
important benefit of IEC 61850 was laying the foundation for into digital form and sends them through the process bus, as
28 T&D World | December 2021
AUTOMATION AND CONTROL
PRP and HSR Protocols The concept of PRP is based on the dispatch of two copies
Communication requirements in substations are evolving to of each frame on two redundant hardware paths that also
support advanced applications based on mission-critical mes- can be different in terms of performance and topology. PRP
sages, such as the execution of fast protection and control is implemented in end devices, and switches on the network
commands. In this scenario, network redundancy becomes a use standard Ethernet. The PRP unit sends a message to
crucial implementation aspect and must be designed to en- the network through both ports at the same time, with the
sure adequate recovery times for mission-critical functions in message passing through the two independent networks to
the event of a failure. In this sense, networks based on classic the PRP unit. The unit manages the first packet and discards
redundancy through rapid spanning tree protocol (RSTP) the second.
may not provide transmission reliability. Unlike PRP, HSR is designed for use in ring topologies. The
IEC 62439-3 responds to this need by defining two protocols basic principle is to send identical frames in both directions
that provide near zero recovery time: PRP and HSR. around a ring. This ensures a copy of the message will arrive
For most communications in substations — such as that between at its destination, even if the ring is broken. Using two network
field devices and station supervisory control and data acquisi- ports, an HSR connection incorporates a double node that
tion (SCADA) — a recovery time of hundreds of milliseconds connects the two interfaces to form a ring. Each HSR node
is adequate, while for messages — for example, lock or unlock, receives all frames that are sent only to it. Multicast and broad-
based on GOOSE or SV messages — this time is high. A mission- cast messages are relayed by every node in the ring. To prevent
critical message must be received within the time limits of a these messages from circulating forever, the HSR node that
milliseconds interval, otherwise the protection functions would initially sends the message over the ring will remove it when
be compromised. it returns to the node.
The goal of implementing a redundant network is to ensure In the case of a failure, a frame is sent by using the net-
timely packet delivery for various applications. The IEC 62439- work in operation. In this way, there is redundancy with zero
4 standard defines PRP and the IEC 62439-5 standard defines switchover time.
HSR—both with a 0-msec fail-over time, as required by critical Process bus and LAN redundancy protocols are primary
high-speed functions with no packet loss. Two independent net- solutions to the evolution of digital technology in next-
work interfaces present on a single device transmit the same data at generation electrical substations. The challenge that awaits
the same time. The redundancy monitoring protocol ensures the transmission system operators (TSOs) now is implementing
recipient uses only the first data packet and discards the second. such solutions, fully exploiting their potential and ensuring
complete interoperability between the
devices involved. This can be achieved
only through proper design and testing
processes.
Each month you’ll get the latest on electrical transmission & distribution,
substations, construction, operation and maintenance, automation, new
product reviews, industry news and more.
Deepwater Design
Independent Power Transmission Operator uses a new type of submarine cable design to
interconnect the Greek Islands.
By MICHAIL CHATZIPANOS, IOANNIS MARGARIS, KONSTANTINOS TSIREKIS and SAVVAS KATEMLIADIS,
Independent Power Transmission Operator SA, Greece
H
istorically, the design of high-voltage submarine cables in- very low level. Therefore, it is necessary to provide tensile elements
cludes steel tensile elements (armoring) stranded around with sufficient tensile modulus of elasticity and cross-sectional
the circumference of the power cable core. Typically, the area to ensure minimum cable elongation.
steel tensile elements are galvanized to protect against The steel stranding added to provide more elasticity area also
corrosion. The main purpose of the tensile elements is to support increases the weight of the cable. The tensile strength elements
the weight of the cable, as it is suspended from the cable-laying at any point along the cable during installation must support the
vessel to the seabed while being installed (or recovered). Within total weight of the cable while maintaining the cable elongation
the design of high-voltage (HV power cables, it is important the below the desired level. The position on the cable subjected to
elongation of the conductors, and thus the cable, is limited to a the highest stress (and strain) is the point on the cable just as it
leaves (or enters) the cable-laying vessel,
where the tensile elements are supporting
the total weight of the cable between this
point and the seabed. Depending on the
depth of the water, the weight of the sus-
pended cable will cause cable elongation
outside the specified design limits.
To resolve this cable elongation prob-
lem, it has been a long-term goal of manu-
facturers to design and build submarine
cables that are as light as possible without
compromising the cable’s mechanical and
electrical performance, which could en-
able the deployment of cost-efficient and
fit-for-purpose solutions. The Independent
Power Transmission Operator SA (IPTO)
in Greece successfully installed such
a submarine cable design recently to
interconnect the Greek islands.
Cable image taken by remotely operated vehicle at 968-m (3176-ft) depth on Crete-Peloponnese Interconnector (left). Field rigid joint installed at 485 m (1591 ft)
on Crete-Peloponnese Interconnector (right).
The cable test sample included newly developed factory The Greek transmission system includes many non-intercon-
joints and a rigid repair joint. The maximum pulling tension nected inhabited islands. These islands are located mostly in
for the tensile bending test was 450 kN, and the same value the deepwater regions of the Aegean Sea, with a maximum
was applied for the straight tensile test. These results were sea depth of 3543 m (11,625 ft), and the Ionian Sea, with a
deemed satisfactory as the type test was performed success- maximum sea depth 5267 m (17,280 ft) — the deepest sea
fully to qualify the cable design for deepwater installation at depth in the Mediterranean. Most of the large Greek islands,
the maximum water depth of 1000 m (3280 ft), in accordance namely Crete and Rhodes, have significant power requirements.
with CIGRE Technical Brochures 623 and 490 as well as rel- The cable design selected for all interconnections was a 150-kV
evant International Electrotechnical Commission standards. alternating-current (ac), three-core cable with 630-sq mm (0.98-sq
Longitudinal (conductor and sheath) and radial (factory joint inch) copper conductors and two layers of flat tensile elements
and repair joint) water-penetration tests were performed at containing high modulus synthetic fibers. The first installation
96 bar, in accordance with the design-approved maximum selected for this new cable design was the connections between
water depth, and the cable system (cable and accessories) the three Greek islands of Evia, Andros and Tinos. A second
successfully passed all tests. installation selected was the long subsea interconnector between
Crete and Peloponnese on the Greek mainland.
Greek Transmission System
Cable manufacturer Prysmian Group found a partner in the Inter-Island Connections
IPTO in Greece that was willing to provide suitable applications The first 2.5-km (1.55-mile) length of 150-kV submarine cable
for this new cable technology. The goal of the projects was to was installed between Andros and Tinos, and the second 14-
ensure the HV cable satisfied power transmission requirements km (8.7-mile) 150-kV submarine cable was installed between
with the additional capability of allowing for cost-effective and Andros and Evia. The sea state during cable installation on
safe cable installation at increased water depths. the seabed at a maximum depth of 550 m (1805 ft) had a wave
height of 1.5 m (4.9 ft) that corresponded to a laying tension Mechanical tests.
in the order of 200 kN.
Mechanical • Tensile bending test
450 kN
The cable installation required four beach pulls, two of Preconditioning • Straight tensile test
which were undertaken at the island substation located some
Special Tests • Crush test
150 m (490 ft) from the shoreline. The low cable weight enabled • Crush test for long-term stacking
this operation to be completed without any additional risks • Impact test Project-specific parameters
• Handling test
during installation, which went smoothly and was executed • Pulling stocking test
according to plan without any incidents.
The installation of the two Evia-Andros-Tinos low-loss 150- 340 kN — approximately 46% less than the respective tension
kV island interconnectors kicked off in September 2019 and of a conventional galvanized-steel double-armored submarine
concluded in November 2019, with both interconnectors in cable used for deepwater interconnections. Correspondingly, the
commission by February 2020. weight of the aramid armored cable was approximately 34 kg/m
(23 lb/ft), some 47.5% less in comparison with a conventional
Crete-Peloponnese Interconnector submarine cable.
A third interconnection using synthetic-yarn tensile elements was The Crete-Peloponnese project confirmed the measured
installed between Crete and Peloponnese. This interconnection onboard tension of aramid armored cable increases linearly
of Crete — the biggest island in Greece — with the Greek main- as the depth of lay increases, as shown by data extracted from
land was originally envisaged in the early 1970s. The electricity the daily installation progress reports. It was clear the forces a
production sector in Crete is responsible for approximately 60% submarine cable with synthetic-fiber tensile elements experi-
of the island’s CO2 emissions, as a result of using heavy fuel oil ences during cable-laying installation were significantly less
(HFO) and diesel in the power plants. than those subjected to a conventional cable.
Therefore, the key objectives for this interconnector project The submarine cable installation required two beach pulls,
were as follows; thereby consisting of two laying campaigns. The first campaign
• Reduce CO2 emissions attributed to the oil-fired stations was from Nopigia in Crete to the 67th-km (42nd-mile) position
by replacing these power plants with generation from of the interconnection (KP 67), while the second campaign ex-
natural gas and renewable energy sources (RES) tended from KP 67 to Neapolis, Peloponnese. Two in-line cable
enhanced by the interconnector to the mainland. joints were installed along the interconnection at positions KP
• Reduce electricity generation costs in Crete by replacing 67 and KP 115. Including weather contingencies, the submarine
expensive oil-fired generation units with more efficient cable installation took 34 days to complete — some three days
generation from the mainland of Greece. quicker than originally planned.
• Reduce the emissions of pollutants (for example, The cable-laying campaigns and onshore pull-in procedures
NOx and SO2), which will have a positive effect on took place smoothly and were completed without any additional
the environment and tourism. risks. All operations were performed according to plan without
• Contribute significantly to the increasing demand incident.
for energy using RES (wind and solar) installed on The 24-hr test electrification of the submarine cable system
the island of Crete. was undertaken successfully on Dec. 23, 2020. The IPTO and
• Improve the security of supply for customers on Prysmian, the contractor for this project, formally announced
the island. the completion of the submarine interconnector in early April
The Crete-Peloponnese interconnector project connects Crete 2021. Operation of the Crete-Peloponnese Interconnection as
to the Greek mainland transmission system on the Peloponnese a whole began soon thereafter, when all its other components
Peninsula. The total length of the submarine cable intercon- were completed.
nector is approximately 135 km (84 miles), laid at a maximum
installation depth of 960 m (3150 ft) with a total submarine cable Future Application
length of approximately 135 km. This 150-kV interconnector has As a conclusion, there is only reference to the benefits of the
a load-transfer capacity of 200 MVA. high-strength synthetic-fiber tensile element design concerning
During cable laying at the deepest point of the installation, the the reduction of electrical losses.
aramid armored cable was subjected to a laying tension of about There is no reference to the reduced onboard tension during
Acknowledgment
The authors wish to thank the following for their
kind support throughout this major project and
in the preparation of this article: D. Kostopoulos
of Aventa, S. Trolli of Prysmian Powerlink SpA,
and E. Consonni and D. Parris of Prysmian SpA.
January/February 2020
utilityproducts.com
Vol. 24, Issue 1
PLUS!
• Making the case for your work truck
• Preventative drill maintenance
• Increase your grounding system reliability
• Mitigate Aeolian vibration
• Next level safety training
• Transmission project goes the distance
P
art of the SSE Group, Scottish and Southern Electricity utility’s asset base includes around 11,500 transmission
Networks Transmission owns and maintains the 400-kV, line towers and 158 substations and switching stations.
275-kV and 132-kV transmission systems across the ma- Transmission line faults create disturbances that can have
jority of Scotland. In 2019, the utility reviewed its digital a significant impact on the system, reducing overall stability
strategy, outlining its commitment to safety, innova- and security as well as resulting in the loss of renewable en-
tion and the best environmental practices — particu- ergy generation, as is often the case with modern networks.
larly those that apply to the routine operation and In extreme cases, it can even result in the loss of widespread
maintenance of its transmission system assets, such as customer supplies. For this reason, Scottish and Southern
overhead lines and substations in northern Scotland. The Electricity Networks (SSEN) Transmission works hard to
ensure its inspection and maintenance
programs are robust. Traditionally, this
included field staff climbing transmission
towers to carry out routine inspections,
intervening to replace worn and damaged
fittings as required. However, this required
circuit outages and had the inherent risks
associated with working at heights.
As part of its digital strategy, the SSE
Group engaged Cyberhawk — a drone-based
aerial inspection and data management so-
lutions provider — to check the integrity of
its overhead transmission system and adopt
innovative digital solutions. In action since
2012, this program has transformed the way
in which SSEN Transmission captures and
Location of transmission system substations in northern Scotland. uses inspection data today.
38 T&D World | December 2021
DATA ANALYTICS
Multilevel Data
Recognizing the benefits of effective data management,
SSEN Transmission now accesses terabytes of data cap-
tured from drone inspections on Cyberhawk’s cloud-based
internet of things (IoT) visualization platform, iHawk.
This enables the utility to actively manage assets through-
out their life cycle and accurately make informed future
capital investments, driving whole-life value.
The platform offers operational, project and asset teams
unprecedented access to multilevel data, giving them
a more comprehensive understanding of the network,
exposing integrity risks and revealing opportunities for
improvement. This innovative approach to data man-
agement is key to managing network assets and central
to how SSEN Transmission’s operational team manages
inspections, maintenance, safety and compliance. The 400-kV, 275-kV and 132-kV transmission system in northern Scotland.
an outage was planned and a repair carried out the follow-
Drone Inspections ing weekend. In this case, the drone data on iHawk likely
By carrying out drone inspections as business as usual and en- prevented a circuit failure and the loss of a key transmission
suring the data is efficiently processed and accessed on iHawk, circuit. By keeping its transmission lines in top condition, SSEN
SSEN Transmission’s highly skilled operational teams can iden- Transmission can retain a high level of network reliability at
tify issues early and focus interventions on the highest priority the lowest cost possible, ensuring delivery of the best value to
items, before they fail. the customer.
The condition of towers and insulator fittings can deteriorate Furthermore, SSEN Transmission also has worked with
over time, leading to potentially catastrophic incidents. Therefore, Cyberhawk on the iSim application within iHawk, enabling the
the first priority is to provide a safe and secure transmission utility to apply the same rigor in managing its substation assets.
network. After all, the risk is too high to adopt piecemeal or As a result, inspection and maintenance data now are entered
percentage-based inspections. To overcome this, Cyberhawk at the point of work, ensuring accuracy and the most up-to-date
continues to support SSEN Transmission by conducting regular information is available for the maintenance teams.
drone-based inspections, which are agile, use time effectively
and provide a safer alternative to the in-person method. Put Data Collection
simply: The operational staff and their time are too precious. Cyberhawk’s data management solution also provided the system
Drone surveys provide the opportunity to get the most from this for compliance. As part of a compliance audit, iHawk ensures the
team while reducing risk and improving the performance of the SSEN Transmission data systems satisfy the statutory obligations
network in the most efficient manner. of the electricity safety, quality and continuity (ESQC) regulations
For example, in 2020, Cyberhawk’s visual inspection data as the main holding of the data interrogated. ESQC regula-
identified a missing split pin on a tower fitting. As a result, tions (2002) dictate that electricity distribution and transmission
Drone inspection images found an insulator fitting with missing split pin.
ELECTRIC UTILITY
OPERATIONS
DECEMBER 2021 tdworld.com/electric-utility-operations
Welcome Back!
Electric Utility Operations
CONGRATULATIONS
TO OUR DECEMBER
FEATURED LINEMAN!
Tom Swayne
DTE
• Born in Pontiac, Michigan, and has four sisters.
• Married to Lynne for 35 years and has three children and
three grandchildren.
• Enjoys traveling to Europe. He and his wife just visited his
youngest son who is stationed in Germany.
• He and his teammates, John Appleberg and Keith Wilder, Tom Swayne and his team from DTE won the senior division at the 2021
International Lineman’s Rodeo.
won the senior’s division and placed 10th overall in the jour-
neyman division at the 2021 International Lineman’s Rodeo.
happened, I made the decision to be a person to stand up
• Can’t live without the battery-powered tools and the new
for those things so they wouldn’t happen again in the future.
flame-retardant clothing, which he says is thinner, lasts
longer and is better equipped for the weather.
Memorable Storm
I’ll never forget Puerto Rico. We were there for two months.
The challenges of the terrain and working in the rainforest
Early Years were very memorable. It rained almost every day, and the heat
When I was 19 years old, I had some tree trimming experi- was excruciating. The people, however, we some of the nicest I
ence, and my friend suggested that I try line work. I started have ever met. They had their power off for months, and it was
my apprenticeship in 1987, and if I had to do it over again, I wonderful to help them to just to get the fridge working again
wouldn’t change a thing. or get a few lights back on. Being able to help people like that
I started with contractors such as Harlan Electric through was a wonderful thing.
my American Line Builders Apprenticeship Training program.
In two years, at the age of 21, I topped out, and by the time I was Career-Defining Moment
22, I was promoted to a leader and a foreman. Two years later, The day that I topped out was an important time for me.
I had an eight-person crew, and at 27 years old, I worked as a When you hold that journeyman ticket, it opens a whole new
general foreman. By the time I turned 30, I moved to the power world for you, and you must be prepared for the responsibilities
company. DTE has been a great company to work for. that come with it.
I
n line work, safe work practices can mean the difference be- companies were not able to participate in the Lineman’s
tween a lineman going home at the end of the day or landing Rodeo. As a result, the ILRA opted to shorten the safety confer-
in the emergency room. To keep safety top of mind for the ence from a day-and-a-half to a half-day conference for 2021.
field workforce, the International Lineman’s Rodeo Associa- “We went to a half day due to the pandemic and the num-
tion (ILRA) launched a safety conference to start off the 2021 bers, but we would like to go back to a day-and-a-half confer-
Rodeo Week. ence next year,” says Mike Hayward, ILRA board member.
Due to travel restrictions and concerns surrounding Line school students to experienced field supervisors at-
the COVID-19 pandemic, international teams and some tended the conference, which was sponsored by Burns & Mc-
Donnell, Safeguard and IBEW Locals
47, 66 and 304, to learn about safety in
the electric utility industry.
Mike Stremel, training manager
for Midwest Energy, says the Rodeo
has been a great event for him to
challenge himself and coworkers,
meet with other utility workers across
the country. He attended the safety
conference to hear from Carl Potter,
a safety speaker, as well as from an
accident survivor.
“It’s great to hear the stories of
people who have been in the indus-
try and want to share their passion
and dedication to the industry,”
Stremel says.
“They are promoting safety to the
young people coming into the trade.
Due to the attendance numbers related to the pandemic, the ILRA opted for a half-day safety conference for It’s a great event, and it’s great to be
2021. back this year at the Rodeo.”
40D T&D World | December 2021
Electric Utility Operations
Evolution of Safety
Carl Potter, the founder of the Safety Insti-
tute and author of 12 books, started off his
presentation by thanking the attendees for
their dedication throughout the pandemic.
“Our operating centers were like ghost
towns during the pandemic, but workers
were taking the bull by the horns and step-
ping it up,” he says. “This is the cream of the
crop, and this is where you come to find out
how you can be better at what you do.”
With his 17 years of front-line experi-
ence in the utility industry, Potter drove the
importance of safety home for the attend-
ees. He says linemen need to change their
attitude and personal culture about safety.
“When something happens, and one
of us screws up, you may think it is some-
one else’s fault,” he says. “In reality, you
may have screwed up and failed to do
something.” Carl Potter of The Safety Institute kicked off the safety conference with his presentation, “Keeping
Over the years, however, the line trade Safety Simple.”
has become safer due to advances in personal protective “Keep your eyes open,” Potter says. “Have your head on a
equipment, he says. For example, more linemen are wearing swivel. Watch your coworkers and say stop, watch what you’re
100% fall equipment when competing at the International doing. If you see an unsafe condition, take action and then
Lineman’s Rodeo. restart the safety clock.”
“You can do your job just as effectively with safety equip- Potter advised the linemen to be proactive about safety by
ment if it is done right,” Potter says. “If everything else goes volunteering to participate in the safety committees or speak
bad, hopefully, the PPE will save your life.” at a safety meeting.
As the linemen of yesterday evolved from wearing fedoras to “Stand in front of your peers,” Potter says. “You can make
hard hats and riding horses or using bucket trucks, they have a statement and make some bold moves. If you have had at
continued to improve their safe work practices. least eight years in the craft, you are a safety professional.
“Do you know how hard it was for linemen to give up fedoras Act like one.”
for hard hats?” Potter asked the crowd. “Like farmers, they just Also, he told them to not go outside their scope of work.
got it done. Today, however, we know that if you do this job long For example, overhead linemen may not know how to do
enough, something will happen. Every time you go out to do a underground work, just as underground linemen may not
job, you flip the coin and roll the dice anew. If you don’t wipe climb poles.
the slate clean and look at your job today and test your equip- “You can’t know it all,” he says.
ment, all bets are off.” Finally, he advised the attendees to check out all the person-
The past safety goals for organizations were to keep injuries al protective equipment (PPE) at the Lineman’s Expo, which
below common injury rates and reduce the number of injuries started immediately following the safety conference.
from the year before. It can be like a catch 22 for many utilities, “Understand why you were proper PPE, and seek out more
however, he says. comfortable PPE,” he says. “We will get better and better.”
“We get better, then something happens, and we look back,”
he says. “There has got to be a goal where we all work together Sharing a Personal Injury Story
— the IBEW, management and rank and file. Everyone has to Following Potter’s presentation and a short networking break,
understand what the culture is.” Kent Brown, manager of safety for Evergy, introduced the final
Regardless of the demands of work, linemen must be ex- two speakers: Zachary and Mylinda Spicer.
pected to take time to do it safely, he urged the audience. At every Rodeo safety conference, a speaker shares a per-
“Fate is the hunter that seeks those who are least prepared,” sonal injury story, and 2021 was no exception. Zachary shared
he says. “Look at your crew. Stay safe in your work zone. Focus his story of how he survived an arc flash blast at a substation.
on job planning.” When he walked out of the substation house the after-
For example, if linemen see an apprentice not following noon of the accident, he wore his hard hat and had the
directions or being distracted, they should make sure the sleeves of his flame-retardant shirt rolled up to his elbows. As
apprentice starts focusing so he or she can go home at the he walked out the door, he left his safety glasses on the desk.
end of the day uninjured. He was about to learn the hard way, exactly why FR shirts
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RODEO ROUNDUP
The sun rises on the Rodeo grounds for the start of the
2021 International Lineman’s Rodeo.
F
or 2020, T&D World and Utility Products honored the traveled to Kansas City for the 2021 Rodeo Week and inter-
line trade through a Virtual Celebration Week. This year, national teams were not able to participate. Even so, Kerr said
however, linemen and their families came together for the 2021 event helped to bring the line trade back to a sense
competition and camaraderie at the 2021 International of normalcy.
Lineman’s Rodeo. “In 2019, we had 1200 competitors, which was a record, and
“When we started talking about doing the Rodeo in January this year, we had about half of that,” he says. “When we decided
of this year, my heart rate jumped up two-fold due to the excite- to do the Rodeo, we didn’t care how many we would get. We were
ment of seeing the competition and meeting up with friends,” just interested in doing the Rodeo.”
says Dennis Kerr, co-chairman of the International Lineman’s In the early days, the Lineman’s Rodeo started out with very
Rodeo Association (ILRA). “It is one of the best events of the few competitors, and over time, it has been growing and growing.
year for me.” Kerr foresees the same trend happening in the future.
By participating in the competition, journeymen linemen “In 2022, I think we will be right back where we were in 2020,”
and apprentices can connect with other linemen from around Kerr says.
the country. Rick Childers, a retired event coordinator and board mem-
“They can watch how they work, learn about other skills they ber for the ILRA, says he returned to the Rodeo to provide
don’t have and have great camaraderie with people around the assistance in 2021 after some volunteers dropped out due to
country,” Kerr says. the COVID-19 pandemic.
Due to travel restrictions and other concerns surrounding “It’s a wonderful event, and it’s fantastic to see everyone
the COVID-19 pandemic, fewer linemen and their families back together,” Childers says. “I’ve been with the Rodeo for 30
42 T&D World | December 2021
RODEO ROUNDUP
Competing as Teams
At the International Lineman’s Rodeo,
journeymen linemen compete in six
different divisions—military, IOU,
muni, REI, contractor and senior.
The journeymen linemen must com-
pete in teams of three, and through
teamwork and dedication, they can
score the highest number of points
during the four events including pole
climb, hurt man rescue and two mys-
tery events.
The pole climb event has been a
traditional part of the International
Lineman’s Rodeo, but in past years, The journeymen linemen competed as teams of three at the 2021 event.
the ILRA bestowed individual awards for the fastest climbers. the event with zero deductions in a time of 0:136:47. The trio of
That was not the case for 2021. According to the ILRA, the award journeymen linemen scaled a 40-ft wood pole and were judged
drives the wrong behavior for climbing poles. for their ability to bring a raw egg in a small bucket safely down
“We are trying to promote safety, and we wanted to make sure to the ground without hot-dogging or free-falling.
that no one gets hurt,” Kerr says. In addition, the journeyman teams competed in a simu-
All of the apprentices and journeymen teams started out with lated energized hurt man rescue event. The teams had to
100 points for each event, and then if they made mistakes, they work together to rescue a person injured while working to
received point deductions. change out a faulty disconnect. Wearing rubber gloves, two
“I tell the competitors that the best thing to do is not have of the linemen climbed the pole while the groundman used
any deductions to have an opportunity to be part of the award an extendo stick to open the switch and lay the mannequin
ceremony,” Kerr says. carefully on the ground. The Jackson EMC team of Jeff Sutton,
For the pole climb event, the journeyman lineman team of Caleb Chapman and Jeremy Adams finished the event in a
Brandon Gloria, David Angove and Kyle Vanderpool completed total time of 01:41:81, topping the competition.
A judge explains the rules to a journeyman team prior to the start of the pole climb event.
capturing first place in the event. Smith says he has been to the
International Lineman’s Rodeo several times.
“We love coming every year,” Smith says. “It’s an awesome ex-
perience to be a part of it and see everyone throughout the years.
We are just here to have a good time.”
For the Journeyman Mystery Event #2, the team replaced two
insulators and steel pins using PLP #2 Pre-form Tie with grom-
mets on a 10-ft Brooks braceless crossarm using rubber gloves
and AB Chance hot sticks. The Duke Energy team of Jay Tipton,
Keith Griffin and Sandy Barnhill won the event with a time of
16:12:84. This team also won the “Best of the Best” in the jour-
neyman division with a total of 398 event points, two deductions
and a time of 35:46:22.
Spotlight on Apprentices
In the apprentice division at the International Lineman’s Rodeo,
The journeymen teams competed in two mystery events at the International 182 apprentices competed in the hurt man rescue, pole climb, and
Lineman’s Rodeo.
two mystery events. In addition, they had to complete a written test
Another tradition at the Lineman’s Rodeo — the mystery the day before the competition at the Overland Park Convention
events — were back in full force at the 2021 competition. While Center. Aaron Sabato of Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), who was
the linemen can practice their skills for the pole climb and hurt crowned as the “best of the best” in the apprentice division, won
man rescue back at home, they don’t know the full event descrip- the written test event with 88 points.
tion and rules for the mystery events until they arrive in Kansas As he and the other competitors from PG&E participated
City for Rodeo Week. in the Lineman’s Rodeo, a support team was on the sidelines
Hastings sponsored the Journeyman Mystery Event #1, which cheering them on. Ahmad Ababneh, vice president of major
involved an obstacle course for the journeymen linemen teams. projects and programs for electric operations for PG&E, says
The linemen had to climb a pole and perform a function at each his company sent three journeymen linemen teams from PG&E,
cross-arm per the event guidelines. Two of the linemen worked one from Local IBEW 1245 and seven apprentices to participate
together on the pole while the groundman focused on using a in the competition.
telescopic stick to open the cutout and performing other duties. “What does it mean for PG&E and trying to get back, espe-
Russell Smith, Casey Slater and Brian Wheeler from the Hotline cially after the cancellation last year?” he says. “We are excited
Construction/Team Dry Canyon team from Ventura, California, to be here and for our team and everyone else who represents
finished the event more than 45 seconds ahead of the next team, our industry. It’s a great event for all of us coming together and
representing what we do every day, which is keeping the lights
on and serving our customers and communities. Teams can ex-
change best practices, and linemen can learn from each other.
I’m looking forward to having a safe event.”
Alex Benoit, an apprentice for National Grid, came in sec-
ond place in the apprentice division at the 2021 International
Lineman’s Rodeo. He participated in the competition two years
ago and was glad to return to the Rodeo.
“I am happy to be back,” Benoit says. “It’s a great time meeting
all these people, seeing the tools in the trade, being safe and
having fun doing what we do.”
Ted Ghyra, an apprentice for Omaha Public Power District,
climbed to the top in three categories in the apprentice divi-
sion—pole climb, mystery event #1 and mystery event #2. Ghyra,
who is topping out in November 2021, plans to compete on the
journeyman team next year.
“I was very happy with my performance,” Ghyra says. “Everything
was going right for me that day.”
At the awards ceremony following the Rodeo, Ghyra earned
five award plaques from the ILRA.
“Walking across the stage is always an awesome experience,
and it’s a feeling that never gets old,” he says. “What I like most
To be the best of the best in the journeyman division, the teams had to learn to about the rodeo is visiting and competing with some of the best
work together. linemen in the world.”
44 T&D World | December 2021
RODEO ROUNDUP
He says he wanted to thank everyone who made the As her husband, Tom Swayne, prepared to compete at the
International Lineman’s Rodeo possible this year. International Lineman’s Rodeo for the DTE journeyman team,
“Last year was very disappointing not being able to compete, Lynne was on the sidelines supporting him. Swayne and his team-
however, I’m glad they brought it back this year,” he says. “I’d also mates, John Appleberg and Keith Wilder, finished first in the
like to thank the guys who helped me to prepare for the Rodeo.” seniors division at the 2021 International Lineman’s Rodeo.
During the Rodeo, the apprentices participated in a rope splice “I’ve been married to a lineman for 35 years, and as a line-
competition in a tent on the Rodeo grounds. By climbing poles man’s wife, I am the power behind the power,” she says. “I am the
and practicing putting on his tools a few times a week leading one that had to keep the kids quiet and the house going while
up to the Rodeo, Ghyra was able to prepare for the hurt man he was working storms, traveling for hurricanes and following
rescue and pole climb. Because the mystery events were a mystery storms around the United States. I wouldn’t have it any other
until he arrived, he just focused on best practices and his skills way. I have a lineman family, and it has been a fantastic life, and
during the competition. I am so proud of these guys.”
“I’ve learned to pay attention to the little details in the events, Dale Warman of the ILRA says he was excited to see all the
because if you do those right, it will save you a lot of time,” he says. linemen and their families back in Kansas City for the 2021
Lineman’s Rodeo Week.
Line Families Unite “My heart is full of joy to see all of these people come here,”
When linemen earn the opportunity to compete at the he says. “They are smiling and happy, and it’s like everyone is
International Lineman’s Rodeo, they often bring their families coming out of a cloud. That’s what it is all about. This Rodeo is
along with them to watch them compete. As they scaled the poles for the linemen and their families to reward them for what they
and competed in the event, their line families bundled up on the have done. They have had a bad year, but now they are coming
sidelines in blankets and coats in the chilly start to the Rodeo. out. We are so lucky to be able to do that. We appreciate everyone
Then as the sunshine spilled over the Rodeo grounds, the who put in time to make it happen.”
children headed over to the Kid Zone, where they could jump Editor’s Note: To see a photo gallery and video highlights
on inflatables, ride a small train and eat treats like cotton candy. from the 2021 safety conference, visit the T&D WORLD Web site at
Families also were able to visit the exhibitors’ booths on the www.tdworld.com/electric-utility-operations.
Rodeo grounds, ride a bucket truck 80 ft in the air to gain an
aerial view of the competition and gather in their companies’ AMY FISCHBACH (amyfischbach@gmail.com) is the Field Editor for T&D World
tents surrounding the event areas. magazine.
Experiencing Growth
W
hile linemen can learn about new products in the line
trade through virtual events and online resources, A total of 164 exhibitors showcased new products and technolo-
live trade shows allow them to meet with manufactur- gies at the Lineman’s Expo Oct. 14 and 15, 2021, at the Overland
ers in person and check out products fresh on the Park Convention Center.
market. After taking a year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, “We used to have a handful of aisles, and now we have eight
the International Lineman’s Rodeo Association (ILRA) executed aisles with exhibitors on each side,” says Dennis Kerr, co-chairman
a full Lineman’s Rodeo Week complete with the safety confer- of the ILRA. “The Expo is completely sold out. We have had many
ence, Expo, Trade Night and Lineman’s BBQ and competition. vendors come back from previous years, and they are excited
“We felt like we needed to be back and have the event again, about being here. The first-time vendors think it’s the greatest
and we didn’t want to take two years off,” says Mike Hayward an thing. There is such a variety of companies out here as part of
ILRA board member. “We are trending 50 percent of a normal the Expo, and there’s exciting and neat stuff to learn.”
Rodeo, and we are full on our Expo floor. We are happy to At the Expo, exhibitors can talk one-on-one with the end users
have the linemen back at the Expo, and the vendors are happy — the linemen — about what they like and don’t like about their
that they are back face-to-face with the linemen throughout the products. The linemen can also go back to their field managers,
United States.” executives and tool committees to tell them what new innovations
they’ve discovered at the Lineman’s Expo.
“It is a very important event, and people from all over the
country are always interested in attending it,” Kerr says. “We
have a full house of vendors that have all the latest and greatest
equipment on the floor.”
Training Linemen
Exhibitors not only showcased products to improve line-
men’s safety, but also boost their level of education and train-
ing. Caleb Thompson from Timpson Training says he gave
15 demonstrations of his training system for the linemen
attendees in one day.
“When linemen get out into the real world, their hair can
stand up and the panic can set in,” Thompson says. “Our system
continuously monitors the voltage on the lines so anything over
a certain voltage will trip the unit. It creates a more realistic
training environment.”
At the event, line schools also exhibited to raise awareness
about the training programs that are available. For example, the
Elite Lineman Training Institute, which started two-and-a-half
years ago, offers four 11-week programs annually in Georgia. The
programs are designed to “not just get them through,” but make
them a better lineman, according to the company.
Utilities, which are looking to hire more linemen, also exhib-
ited on the show floor, not to recruit on site, but rather to spread
awareness about their companies. For example, Tim Jones from
Evergy was at the Expo talking to the attendees.
“It’s great to be back this year,” Jones says.
Christopher Hedges, who has been a supporter of the Rodeo
since it first began, traveled to the convention center for the
Lineman’s Expo. He was looking for new technologies for his
electrical contracting firm in Kansas City.
“I enjoy seeing old friends and learning about new products, but International Lineman’s Expo attendees could try out new tools and technolo-
the best thing is the people,” he says. “That’s what we come for.” gies on the show floor.
single use cradles. Other pole cradles are bulky, hard to store,
hard to retrieve, and only perform one function.
“Storing them usually consists of flinging them into the bed
or belly of a derrick, where they take up already limited cargo
space,” says Ralph Stinson, a lineman and the founder of MADI.
“They are difficult to retrieve especially when behind loaded
material such as wire reels or transformers.”
The MADI Pole Cradle and Pad, however, solves this problem
by making a cradle that fits right in existing pad storage locations
on the sides of trucks and close to the ground, while having the
added functionality of a stiff leg pad. The MADI Pole Cradle
and Pad is a cradle for poles and a jack pad/stiff leg pad all in
one tool. This dual functionality innovation not only stabilizes
the equipment as a pad, but also allows crews to frame a pole
while on the ground, therefore eliminating the risk of falling
tools while in air framing.
The 2021 Top Tool of the Trade, which was invented by Aaron Shropshire, a The product is constructed of stainless steel for corrosion re-
West Virginia lineman, can be used used as a jack/stiff leg pad or pole cradle.
sistance and fiberglass-reinforced nylon for strength and weight
F
or the last five years, T&D World has honored product reduction. It can support up to 12,000 lbs. as a cradle and is equiva-
excellence in the electric utility industry through its Top lent in thickness and size to existing pads made of crossarms.
Tools of the Trade program. Now in partnership with Utility “The MADI Pole Cradle and Pad allows a crew to frame a pole
Products, the competition results in a winner in each of five together while the derrick truck is digging and will normally
categories: Lineman Tools, Safety, Climbing Gear, Workwear be finished before the hole is complete,” Stinson says. “It cuts
and Truck Equipment. down on the duration of the job, keeps a lineman’s time in gloves
After the expert judges selected the category winners, the 2021 and sleeves to a minimum, while preventing the likelihood of
Lineman’s Expo attendees and the “Lineman Life” enewsletter dropped objects.”
subscribers voted for the Top Tool of the Trade. The Endeavor The safety aspect of ground framing is underappreciated, he
Business Media team honored the category winners with special added. “Keeping a lineman out of gloves and sleeves on hot and
signs in each of their Expo booths and then awarded plaques to cold days drastically reduces exposure to the elements prevent-
each category winner at the Rodeo Barbecue and Trade Night. ing frostbite, heat exhaustion, and other environmental-related
The presenters also gave the winner — MADI Innovative Lineman events,” he says.
Tools — a crystal trophy for its Pole Cradle and Outrigger Pad,
which is said to be multifunctional and great for training. Improving Safety in the Field
“MADI continues to identify and innovate new ways to provide MADI constructed the initial prototypes from solid nylon, which
linemen with safer and more efficient tools,” says Wayne Morris, was machined and assembled to be use tested. Further modi-
vice president of MADI LLC. “Aaron Shropshire’s idea brought fications were performed to reduce weight while keeping the
to life by MADI is a terrific example of our commitment to line- strength-to-weight ratios intact, which resulted in the I-beam
men worldwide. We are extremely honored to receive this award type design shown in the finished product. The final product is
because it is recognized and voted by linemen.” now made by a plastic injection molded procedure.
By using the MADI Pole Cradle and Pad, the crew can spin
Solving a Long-Time Problem the pole to drill and frame all 360 degrees. In addition, all crew
Shropshire, a lineman from West Virginia, brought the idea for members can help frame vs. just those in the bucket. “The product
the winning product to MADI and was instrumental in its de- has been very well received by linemen as well as safety supervi-
velopment. The inspiration behind the tool was the need for a sors and utility management,” Morris says. “They recognize the
pole cradle that was compact enough to be stored in a convenient safety of framing poles on the ground and love dual functionality
manner while retaining the strength and functionality of existing plus the simplicity of storage.”
48 T&D World | December 2021
TOP TOOLS OF THE TRADE
working. It may
Safety Category Winner also be used
The Twistarp is a flat lifting as an outrigger
sling available in a 6 ft by 6 pad to stabilize
ft, 7 ft by 7 ft, 8 ft by 8 ft and bucket trucks.
10 ft by 10 ft sizes to fit your The pole may
needs and protect linemen be spun to drill
on the job. Developed by a and frame all 360
veteran lineman, it reduces deg. It allows for
the need for physically ground framing
demanding efforts, making reducing the
utility work faster, safer, risk from falling
and cleaner. Each Twistarp tools. It enables all crew members to learn and help frame versus
reduces backbreaking work, just those in the bucket. Constructed of fiberglass reinforced nylon
meaning fewer muscle for weight reduction and maximum durability, it has a weighted
strains, sprains, and other rating of up to 12,000 lbs. The product easily stores in the standard
injuries. It also saves time outrigger pad rack, and a rope handle allows for quick set ups and
filling in around poles, easy transportation.
which can then be spent installing new utilities and maintaining MADI Innovative Lineman Tools | www.madilinemantools.com
existing ones. Additionally, the Twistarp can be used as a dirt
sling to cleanly and safely transport worksite waste, improving
relationships with customers by keeping their properties clean. The Climbing Gear Category Winner
Twistarp has been independent load tested and certified. It’s made This climbing gear is designed and tested specifically for the
in the USA and built as tough as the linemen that use it. A single big man. Buckingham Manufacturing’s 400 lb. rated climbing
Twistarp is guaranteed to save you money on a continuing basis gear is said to be the first of its
and costs less than the hourly rate for two men and one line truck. kind and is offered in a variety of
Twistarp | www.twistarp.com configurations and kits. These
kits feature all the basic fall
protection products a climber
Lineman Tools Category Winner will need while working on a pole
The M18 FUEL 1⁄2-in. Mid-Torque Impact Wrench packs up to 650 and has been tested and rated up
ft- lbs of torque while weighing in at only 5.1 lbs. These impacts to a 400 lb. user weight capacity.
are said to offer the best power-to-weight ratio in their class for the It ensures that every person on a
most access in tight crew can climb a pole, even the
spaces and faster bolt big men. Must be used and
removal. While up to 3 purchased as a kit to be rated
lbs lighter than other to 400 lbs. All variations of these
high torque impact 400 lb. kits include the patented Adjustable Short Back Belt, which
wrenches, these offers an adjustable man-rated upper belt strap and an adjustable
mid-torque impact lower work positioning D- piece that allows the user to customize
wrenches are equipped the size of the body belt at any given moment.
with a POWERSTATE Buckingham Manufacturing | www.buckinghammfg.com
Brushless motor that
generates the torque
and speed needed
Workwear Category Winner
to perform many of Lakeland’s High Performance Button up
the same tasks, such knit shirt features lightweight knit fabric
as removing large bolts or lug nuts. Performing to tackle over offering permanent moisture-wicking
90 percent of fastening applications, they can easily access technology. This is said to be
stubborn fasteners in spaces where larger impact wrenches can’t the optimal blend for superior
fit. REDLINK PLUS Intelligence ensures maximum performance performance and protection
and protects the tools against overloads, overheating and and comfort and one of the
over-discharge. The four-mode DRIVE CONTROL offers greater lightest weight fabrics in
precision with a range of pre-set RPM and IPM levels, selectable the market offering 16 cal
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lobal electric vehicle sales are on the rise. In 2020 alone, together a network of resources and ecosystem partners to balance
electric vehicle (EV) sales rose 43% even as overall car grid through decentralized, flexible units such as EVs.
sales slumped. According to consulting firm AlixPartners, That is right: Meeting the demand of EVs also means using them
EVs could represent about 24% of total car sales by 2030 as a distributed energy resource (DER) and part of the solution.
— up from the 2% of sales today. In fact, an IBM consumer survey Based on Harvard University engineering data published in
found 50% of consumers in five major metro cities currently own the Environmental Impact Letters, for the U.S. to reach 100%
or lease an EV or plan to within the next few years. of its electricity through solar and wind power projects, it could
This growing trend will put new demand strains on the grid. require one-third of the country to be covered by solar and wind
According to an Electric Vehicles as Distributed Energy Resources facilities. There is no desire nor is it feasible to allocate that much
report by Rocky Mountain Institute, a 30-kWh EV battery stores land to solar and wind farms. Instead, utilities must modernize
as much electricity as the average U.S. residence consumes in a the grid to support bidirectionality and tie into ecosystems and
single day. Too much simultaneous charging in one area poses marketplaces to unite residential and commercial solar panels,
a major threat to grid stability — especially since EVs will charge EVs and other DERs.
in more locations than just the home garage — creating a new, This may sound quite complex, but it becomes feasible by
unpredictable surge to accommodate. taking a hybrid cloud approach to unite and manage these vari-
The unpredictable nature of EV charging demand comes just ous resources and ecosystems on a common platform. A hybrid
as utilities are evolving how they balance and settle the grid. In cloud approach means these disparate resources can run and
the past, meeting peak demand meant tapping into peaker plants. operate on a variety of clouds or on premises yet are united to
These facilities typically are carbon intensive, costly to build and work together using an orchestration platform. By gaining vis-
operate, and drive up the cost of power. Today, nearly 20% of ibility into the entire ecosystem, utilities can forecast, aggregate,
grid power is generated through wind and solar, according to the optimize and settle across resources, thereby helping to accelerate
U.S. Energy Information Administration. Moving forward, the achieving carbon reduction goals.
collective goal of individuals, companies and industries should
be to continue to increase that source in the energy mix. Platform Approach in Action
The challenge is renewables such as wind and solar are weather To meet the EU’s sustainable energy targets, at least half of elec-
dependent and, therefore, less predictable. Fossil fuels should tricity needs to come from renewable sources by 2030, compared
not be leaned on as a crutch anymore. Instead, the solution is to 32% in 2018. To achieve this, TenneT, a leading European
that utilities must operate as flexible orchestration platforms grid operator, worked with IBM to create a blockchain-based
and ecosystem enablers. platform that would allow it to tie into other clean energy pro-
viders in the market, such as Vandebron Energie BV and the
Orchestration Platforms sonnenCommunity.
Operating as an orchestration platform means utilities must Both Vandebron and sonnen could be viewed as competitors of
evolve from a forecast-schedule-dispatch model into a real-time TenneT, as they offer clean energy options directly to customers.
orchestrator of capabilities and ecosystems: Utilities need to bring Vandebron offers its approximately 100,000 customers access to
100% renewable energy sourced from a
network of more than 120 local, small
suppliers, such as excess supply from
EVs. On the other hand, sonnen GmbH
manufactures and distributes home bat-
tery and energy-storage systems. The
sonnen batteries store energy gener-
ated by home solar panels. Typically,
homeowners use the stored energy from
these batteries to power their homes or
sell the energy back to the electricity
distributor when rates are highest.
Rather than compete, TenneT
worked with IBM to develop a platform
Global electric vehicle sales are on the rise. Boumenjapet_Dreamstime. that harnesses the strengths of these
52 T&D World | December 2021
SOLUTIONS CENTER
power providers together to accelerate the volume of
renewable energy available to meet demand. During peak
demand on the grid, TenneT can tap into its network to
balance the grid or discharge excess to reduce transmis-
sion bottlenecks in the grid. The result is a win-win-win:
TenneT can balance the grid and ensure power, and
Vandebron and sonnen customers can monetize their
energy assets when not in use. In addition, this platform
approach helps to maximize the amount of wind and
solar energy available to meet power demand — a step
in the right direction toward achieving EU sustainable
energy targets.
Building on the success of this platform, TenneT part-
nered with other European transmission grid operators,
including Terna (Italy), Swissgrid (Switzerland) and APG Harvard University engineering data suggests that 1/3 of the U.S. would need to be cov-
(Austria) to form Equigy, a European crowd balancing ered by solar and wind facilities to cover 100% of domestic electricity demand. Instead,
utilities must become orchestration platforms to meet this demand.
platform. Together, these four grid operators and a
network of energy players help to meet demand with a higher
percentage of clean-energy resources while reducing the reli-
ance on fossil fuels during peak demand. In addition, because
this approach is connecting existing assets, existing customer
bases and existing back-end systems, the upfront costs are low.
Midwest U.S, ND, SD, NE, IA, MN, WI, MI, IL,
Meiden America Switchgear, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . 9 www.meidensha.com/mas
IN, OH, KY, TN & Eastern Canada
Stephen M. Lach
Phone: 708-542-5648 Milwaukee Tool Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . 40C https://qr.mke.tl/2eah2
Email: slach@endeavorb2b.com
Eastern U.S. GA, SC, NC, VA, WV, MD, PA, DE, NECA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 www.powering-america.org
NJ, NY, CT, RI, MA, NH, VT, ME
Hunter Ramirez Nordic Fiberglass, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 www.nordicfiberglass.com
Phone: 303-946-3764
Email: hramirez@endeavorb2b.com
Oldcastle Infrastructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IBC www.oldcastleinfrastructure.com/plastibeton
Western U.S. CO, NM, TX, AZ, CA, NV, UT, WY,
MT, ID, OR, WA, HI, AK & Western Canada
PPC Insulators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 www.ppcinsulators.com
Brent Eklund
Phone: 303-888-8492
Email: beklund@endeavorb2b.com Quanta Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BC www.quantaservices.com